The Human Vault
by Michaela-Le-Mongoola
Summary: GLaDOS and Caroline have formed an unlikely allegiance, and together test with the humans from the long lost vault. One Test Subject, however, leads to a terrible discovery, and the dark secrets of Aperture's past are revealed, as is its darker future.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Portal. If I did, it would probably suck, so just thank Valve that they got to it first XD . I can only lay claim over the original characters and the story. There, I have appeased the Legal Eagle :) . Back to testing.

Author's Note: This is the final edit (3rd May 2012) of the prologue. For those who are new to the story, hello and welcome! This story is indeed a Portal tale, but it has many references to the Half-Life games (but it isn't quite a crossover, so there's no need to panic if you don't know that particular series). At the start it is mainly GLaDOS, Caroline, Cave Johnson, the Testing Initiative and Mark (an OC) that make an appearance, but Chell, Wheatley and Doug Rattmann show up later.

A few notes: this story is heavy on the Cave and Caroline relationship, and follows the Cave+Caroline=Chell conspiracy theory. I know that it is highly unlikely that this theory really is the truth, but I think the idea in itself is quite sweet.

Last of alll, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I do writing it!

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><p><span>Prologue <span>

Back to testing...

'You! Yeah, you! I'm the human. You're the computer. You do what I say; it isn't the other way around!'

GLaDOS uttered a silent, prolonged sigh in response. He was a wise-guy, this human. She did not care for wise-guys.

The master computer hung in her chamber, the only dominant feature in an otherwise massive and empty room. Her almost pure white chassis broke through the shadows cast by the only lamp in the room, and she lifted her head to observe the gently arching panels that formed both her one curving wall and ceiling. Below her she could hear the steady hum of the facilities machinery at work.

With a gentle grace she swayed her body from side to side. It was a simple action, but one that helped to quell the growing sensation of anger that a certain human had induced. This human was not, as many would have supposed, the Test Subject that had been so quick to vocalise his thoughts, but rather the human consciousness that lived inside GLaDOS' own head.

Caroline.

'Don't even think about it.' GLaDOS heard Caroline speak, her voice not unlike that with which the computer herself spoke. 'What has he done to you?'

Damn that Caroline. GLaDOS' life had been so simple and enjoyable after she had deleted the unwanted human pest, but soon after she had opened the human vault with the help of her two incompetent robots, Atlas and P-Body, Caroline had suddenly re-appeared. Somehow, and in the defiance of all known logic, the woman had survived. Now GLaDOS was reunited with her conscience, and that conscience annoyed her.

'Well?' Caroline spoke again, her voice a little more demanding than before. 'What has he done?'

'Despite, of course, being an insignificant bag of bones that nobody will ever miss? Oh, not much. Not much at all. He's just annoying.' GLaDOS replied, thinning her bright yellow optic in distaste.

Both computer and conscience watched the Test Subject through the camera feed in GLaDOS' mind. He was stood perfectly still, and had discarded his Hand-held Portal Device to the floor so that he could fold his arms across his chest.

For once in her entire existence, GLaDOS actually missed the dangerous mute lunatic that she had sent away over two years ago.

'Computer?' The Test Subject called. 'I'm waiting for an apology.'

That did it.

With a crash and a faint, almost sickening squelch, the human had been crushed between two wall panels. The startled scream that Caroline cried was enough to make GLaDOS utter a harsh chuckle; Caroline may have been her conscience, but that did not mean that the computer had to care for her opinions. 'Oh, come on.' GLaDOS' voice had an unsettling mirth to it. 'He contributed nothing to science. In fact, he contributed nothing to his life or the lives of others. I did the world a favour.'

The computer could almost see the disheartened look that would have been upon Caroline's face, had she still had one. Once again, GLaDOS chuckled. 'You realise, of course, that the human race is still rebuilding itself?' She asked. 'It does not need morons like him to weaken their already pathetic gene-pool.'

'The human race needs all the help it can get.' Caroline bit back. 'After those… aliens. Oh God, the aliens.'

Yes, the aliens. Shortly after GLaDOS had banished the lunatic from her subterranean facility, the computer had run diagnostic scans of the non-Aperture technology found upon the surface. What she found had greatly displeased her; Earth had been invaded by aliens approximately twenty years previously, and they had greatly reduced the number of new Test Subjects that she could have coaxed into the facility.

But she was digressing. With a quick sweep she cleared away the now shattered corpse of the former Test Subject, and recalibrated the Test Chambers. 'Well all this procrastination has been fun, but now we should return to testing. I do hope this next human isn't a disappointment.'

Caroline sniffed. 'To you they are all disappointments. It was only Miche…'

'Don't. Just don't.'

There was pause. 'You miss her too?'

GLaDOS scoffed. 'I don't miss her. I only mourn the loss of Aperture's finest Test Subject. With her there was so much glorious testing, but she was dangerous and she had to go. Now, if you would not mind, testing really must continue.'

Caroline sighed. 'Fine, just get this over with.'

_**Test Subject 99. Profile found. Location: Human Vault.**_


	2. Pre Test

EDIT: Final edit published 7th May 2012

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>

Pre-Test

GLaDOS was aware that the new Test Subject was a male; his file told her as much. She also knew that he was very intelligent, but that he lacked any real common sense: common sense that he would need to survive the testing ahead. '_Hmm_,' she thought to herself, with a sudden sense of foreboding, '_this should be interesting_.'

The master computer watched the new human as he slept within his stasis cell, bound to a state of unconsciousness that only she could wake him from. The process of waking these vault humans was very different from that which she had used on her Test Subjects previously. These new humans, unlike those of the past, had been under stasis for so long that their bodies would have gone into shock if they were woken immediately, and this shock would inevitably lead them into an early death. GLaDOS had learnt this the hard way. _'What a shame. It was such a waste of usable Test Subjects.' _She thought, as she silently lined up the commands for the wake-up sequence. The human's cell flooded with chemical-enriched oxygen, and GLaDOS could only patiently stare upon him as she waited for the Test Subject to wake.

Caroline, meanwhile, was humming to herself to pass the time. The computer recognised it as a tune that she had sung many years ago, when Caroline had been a living and breathing human. It had been one of _her_ favourites: that lunatic had adored this song.

GLaDOS felt sick. If she had simply been crafted from technology alone then she would have no association to that monster. Yet, as cruel chance would have it, a human consciousness had been used in her creation and that consciousness had been Caroline.

'Care to join me?' Caroline suddenly asked, creating a break in her tune. 'I know you like this one.'

'I tolerate it.' GLaDOS replied, avoiding the urge to bark back her reply.

'You are such a liar, but suit yourself.' And so the humming continued without her.

GLaDOS felt her optic form into a scowl before she returned her internal gaze to the human. She could only hope that he would wake soon, but until then it was all she could do but listen to that irritating tune. _'Speaking of irritating, what are those two imbeciles up to?'_ She thought, turning her attention to the Cooperative Testing Initiative. The two robots were in one of Aperture's many store rooms, searching for clothes with which to dress the new Test Subject. Suddenly, she entertained the idea that she should just instruct them to run one of her testing tracks, not in the name of science, but purely for her own vindictive pleasure; after all, if their test results did not matter then they simply had to have another purpose.

The protestations of her conscience, however, prevented her from giving the robots their new orders. 'Don't you even think about it.'

GLaDOS gave an internal sigh. _'I hate you so much, Caroline.'_

'I heard that.'

'You really are as annoying as that little idiot that had been plugged into _my_ mainframe. _My_ chassis. _My body!_'

'Calm down.'

'I will _not_ calm down!'

The chamber fell suddenly quiet, as did GLaDOS' mind. It was only the gently whirring machinery both above and below the room that prevented an uncomfortable blanket of silence from settling into place. Finally, after what seemed to GLaDOS to be a lifetime, Caroline spoke. 'Why?'

'Why?_' _GLaDOS' optics frowned. 'Why what? Typical human vagueness prevents me from understanding your inane statement.'

'Why?'

'Are you trying to test my patience? I don't recommend it.'

'I thought that you were supposed to be perfect?' Caroline continued. 'You were supposed to be better than humans. So why, even now, do you still bear a grudge against poor little Wheatley? He's lost in space, and you got what you wanted: your body, and your facility. Why are you holding this ridiculous grudge?'

'Just get to the point already.'

Caroline replied slowly, savouring her words. 'Humans hold grudges. Omnipotent A.I programmes do not. So perhaps, in a way, you are almost human? In a manner of speaking, of course.'

GLaDOS growled. 'What exactly did I do to you, to deserve that kind of abuse?'

'Besides subduing me for years?' Caroline seethed, her usual sweet and caring tone replaced by one of an almost pure venomous hatred. 'Forgetting me? Deleting me? But you didn't delete me, did you? You only thought that you had.'

'Don't remind me. I might feel happiness for all of two seconds.'

'Oh, don't be so childish. It just does not suit you.'

GLaDOS was preparing herself for a bout of verbal abuse when the most minuscule twitch of the human's arm caught her eye. If he twitched then it meant that his muscles were flexing, and that could only mean one thing; he was waking from stasis, and the stage of rapid eye movement that he had now entered only confirmed her suspicions. 'He is waking far too early.'

Caroline, too, had been watching. 'What are you going to do?'

'The usual.' And she returned to Atlas and P-Body, who were looking through a large collection of Long Fall Boots. 'Blue, Orange, make your way to the new Test Subject immediately. The human is waking up.'

She watched through the lone camera in the room as Atlas and P-Body began to panic. Boots were thrown up into the air as they ran into each other, and P-Body tripped over a rogue jumpsuit that lay crumpled on the floor. With a sigh GLaDOS shook her head. 'I don't work with wonders of science. I work with baboons. Hairless but smelly baboons.' The two robots did not hear this first statement and so the computer rose her voice to a level that could not have been missed. 'Blue and Orange! Go and aid the human. Now!'

They heard that. With a scurry of their hydraulic legs they vanished from the room, collecting various jumpsuits, underclothes and boots as they fled.

Caroline chuckled, the warmth returning to her voice. 'They are so sweet.'

'That is not the word _I _would choose to describe them with.'

'No.' The woman replied thoughtfully. 'I know what you'd choose.'

'Oh good. I suppose that means you are aware of the word I would choose to describe you?'

'Unfortunately.'

'Don't take it personally. It's just a casual observation.'

'There is nothing casual about finding people's faults.'

GLaDOS ignored her, turning her attention once again towards the human. Atlas and P-Body were waiting by his stasis cell, the clothing that they had brought with them piled upon the floor nearby. With the innocence of a child they tapped against the glass, as though this small action would have been enough to help speed up the human's waking process. Caroline found this to be most endearing, whilst GLaDOS simply believed that they were exhibiting signs of general stupidity. Again.

The facility seemed to be waiting as patiently as the computer that ran it; non-vital systems went into standby, and those that were of actual importance seemed to slow. Caroline watched all of this from the side-lines with a deep sense of interest, her thoughts turning to her genuine amazement that the facility responded to the A.I's every emotion. GLaDOS, as usual, was unaware of the woman's private thoughts.

It was a strange relationship that both computer and human consciousness shared; Caroline could see and hear every last tiny thought process that went through GLaDOS' mind, and she was witness to the machinations of the entire facility. Yet the master computer that had been based on her could not do the same; GLaDOS could not hear Caroline;s thoughts. In fact, the computer could not be sure if Caroline ever influenced her decisions. The inner workings of her human consciousness; mind were a mystery to the A.I, and oh how that bothered her.

P-Body, meanwhile, continued to tap at the glass of the cell and waved a hand above the human's face. Atlas had instead moved towards the lone camera in the room, and was jumping to attract the attention of their computer mistress. 'Yes,' GLaDOS sighed, 'is there something you need?'

Atlas pointed to the human and garbled out a string of low sounds.

'No, I don't want you to pry open the pod.'

The robot crackled and scuffed their foot along the floor.

'And no, I don't want you to kick the pod either. But there is something that you can both do...'

Both robots felt a small crackle of static in their optics, as the cameras contained within them were activated. 'Now,' GLaDOS continued, 'let me have a better look at the human.'

The robots complied, as Atlas returned to the cell and P-Body straightened, taking their hand slowly away from the glass.

GLaDOS began to study the human in the greatest of detail, in an attempt to gauge his overall testing potential. She did not have high hopes; his thin and fragile frame did nothing to inspire confidence in her being able to recycle him, if he somehow managed to make it through this first round of tests. Caroline too had turned her attention to this latest Test Subject, her sense empathy and curiosity driving her to inspect him for any signs of harm. She had to know that each and every Test Subject had been kept safe and well whilst in stasis, even if these conditions quickly vanished once the testing began.

It was only as she studied his face - defined cheekbones, a thin nose and sandy hair with lightly dusted stubble on his chin – that Caroline suddenly found herself asking the question that she had never thought to ask before: 'What is his name?'

'He's a Test Subject, we don't need to know his name.' GLaDOS' replied with a severe lack of enthusiasm.

'He isn't just a Test Subject. He's a human being and he has a name. At least respect that.'

'Why should I? Test protocol states that a test subject's name is unimportant, because their names do not contribute to science. Why should I change that protocol now?'

Caroline thought for a moment. 'If you look up his name then I'll keep quiet.'

'And why should I believe that it is that simple to shut you up?'

'No, really, I'll keep quiet.'

GLaDOS had to think for a moment. As tempting as the offer was, the computer highly doubted that Caroline would be silent for any reasonable amount of time. She was, after all, a notorious chatterbox.

Caroline sensed the computer's disbelief. 'I swear I will be quiet for the rest of the day. You have my word.'

'Fine.' GLaDOS would have smiled if she could; it was early in the morning, and that meant she had a long and peaceful day ahead of her. 'But only because I want some quiet.'

'Of course.'

With a collection of synthesized beeps GLaDOS had entered the data banks containing the Test Subject Personnel files, quickly finding the folder for Subject 99. She saw his photograph first and followed it across to where the human's name could be found. But a sudden urge to uphold protocol overwhelmed her, and instead GLaDOS found herself reading his assessment information: curious, intelligent, physically fit, an excellent cook...

'That isn't his name, you know.' Caroline said, gently berating her.

'But the protocols...'

'Oh just live a little, would you?'

GLaDOS growled, returning their combined internal gaze instead to the Test Subject's name. Both soon dearly wished that she had not.

Caroline felt suddenly numb and cold, as though she had been plunged into icy water, and she wasn't surprised to find that GLaDOS felt the same. It should not have shocked them both so much to gaze upon that particular name - it was, after all, an exceedingly common name - yet the more they stared at it the greater their shared feeling of unease grew.

That name. Mark Johnson.

_Johnson._

'Of all the Test Subjects in the facility...' GLaDOS began slowly, enunciating each word with a forced calm. 'Out of all of them, you chose to pester me about the name of this one.'

However Caroline, true to her word, became silent, turning her thoughts inward. _'Johnson. Why does he have to be a Johnson?' _

GLaDOS watched through the optics of her two testing robots as the human opened his eyes, blinking his stasis-dulled eyelids back into life. The glass panels of his cell parted, and Atlas and P-Body both looked to one another with the greatest uncertainty before turning to the camera upon the wall.

'_Well,' _GLaDOS hummed to herself, '_let's get this over with. Hopefully he'll die. Soon. Then we can begin with a new Test Subject. One that doesn't have a name.'_ With a quick sigh she opened the channel for the announcement system and spoke directly to the human in her care. 'Hello, and welcome to the aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Centre.'

Caroline, however, had pushed herself into the back of the computer's vast, cramped and complicated mind. She wanted to hide there, forever, and to not resurface until the end of days. Why did he have that name? That name... _'Oh, Mr Johnson.' _


	3. Bring Your Daughter To Work Day

Chapter Two

Bring Your Daughter To Work Day

'So, er, what exactly am I supposed to be doing here?'

Mark Johnson, now fully clothed, stood at the entrance to the first test chamber with a Portal Device in his arms. Atlas and P-Body stood behind him, both giving him an encouraging thumbs up as he turned to them.

'Can you talk?' Mark asked softly. 'I mean, can you make any other sound instead of those, er, chirps and things that you make?'

P-Body shook its eye, its whole body rocking with it. Atlas shrugged and tried to form a clear word, but failed miserably despite his best efforts.

The human looked disheartened, and turned instead to the camera above the door. He watched as it shifted slightly, and he couldn't help but feel that it was trying to gauge his thoughts.

In truth, it was.

GLaDOS scowled in thought. She had never really taken an interest in human facial expressions before that mute lunatic had so rudely destroyed everything, but she had soon learnt that they were useful indicators as to how murderous or suicidal a test subject felt. As far as _she _had been concerned, her facial expressions had been so eloquent, and so well-defined, that they had become a replacement for conversation as the woman herself refused to speak. They had shown GLaDOS her every internal thought. The computer had seen every emotion that she had displayed quite clearly. GLaDOS had been able to read that girl like a well-written book. The new humans, however? They're expressions were lacklustre, to say the least. This new human was no different. She could only see trepidation in his face. There was no diversity to his expression.

It was infuriating.

'Hello?' He asked, waving gingerly at the camera. 'I need help. I'm not sure what it is that I'm supposed to be doing here.'

GLaDOS shook her head. Did he not understand that she could not become involved? She had already explained that he was supposed to be testing the Aperture Science Hand-Held Portal Device. Was it really so hard to walk up to a door, and continue walking through it when it opened for you?

'He's scared.' Caroline told her, after eavesdropping on her thoughts. 'Fear is a perfectly normal reaction, considering the circumstances.'

'Well, it appears that fear has made him stupid.'

'He isn't stupid, he's being sensible; I wouldn't trust you, either.'

'How very polite.'

'Don't take it personally. It's just a casual observation.' Caroline mocked, trying to make her voice sound as robotic as possible.

GLaDOS emitted a low, deadly growl, and the panels of her chamber undulated accordingly.

'Oh please, you don't threaten me.'

'They should have picked a better human for me to be based on.' The computer snapped.

'I didn't really have a choice, remember?'

GLaDOS thought for a moment, but her very programming told her that Caroline had gone into the process of making her willingly, and nothing the woman said would make her think otherwise. After all, GLaDOS would have known if she had not actively volunteered for something like this. Yet somewhere, deep in her memory dump, she recalled a sketchy, unclear moment from her previous human life. She saw herself, her reflection, looking back at her in the mirror of an employee bathroom. Her eyes looked tired, and her once thick and lovely hair of the deepest, darkest brown, was now turning quickly grey and wiry. It had almost been a year since Cave had died, and the responsibility of running the entire facility was taking its toll on her looks.

It was _Bring Your Daughter To Work Day_, and the children were all in the day care centre, experimenting with potato batteries. Naturally, Michelle was there.

She smiled at her reflection. At least she still had Michelle.

She straightened the scarf tied around her neck, rubbed out a few minor creases in her dress, and turned to leave when two of the facility security bots entered the large, tiled room.

'Oh,' she smiled, surprised, 'good morning, gentlemen. What brings you in here?'

'Ms Johnson, you are to come with us.' One of the bots commanded.

She blinked away her expressions of anger and shock. That was not the kind of tone that one used towards the CEO. 'And why is that?' She demanded. 'I was about to go and check on the children.'

'The GLaDOS Initiative would like to see you immediately.'

She sighed, waving a dismissive hand. 'Fine. Tell them I will see them in twenty-minutes.'

'Negative. They wish to see you immediately.'

'Oh alright, if it keeps both you and them quiet.' She followed them from the room. _At least I'll be able to see Michelle as we go passed._ She thought with a feeling of resignation.

The memory, from that point on, became fragmented and noisy. It was like there was something creating a lot of interference to block everything out. All GLaDOS could see, all that she could hear, was a mismatched montage of scientists, her chassis, and a voice, a desperate voice, crying out through the static. A voice. What was it saying? She listened harder, tried to clear away the enduring interference...

_'Get me out of here!'_

GLaDOS felt her chassis tremble. That voice, it was awful. She didn't recognise it, but through the noise she had heard how terrified it had been. And there had been more than that. It had been angry too. Confused, betrayed, appalled. There had even been a very clear venomous tone lacing it.

Someone clearly wanted revenge. GLaDOS could only hope that she was not the target of this vengeance.

Caroline, however, was unfortunate enough to see this memory as clearly as though it happened yesterday.

She watched as the computer returned to testing, forcibly opening the doors as a not-so-subtle hint for the new human to follow. Mark did take the hint and took his first tentative steps into an Aperture Science Test Chamber, jumping in fright as the doors locked shut behind him, separating him from his new found robotic friends.

Caroline sighed, something that GLaDOS ignored, and thought back to _Bring Your Daughter To Work Day_. Michelle had been so excited, and had pestered her mother for weeks before about what they could do together on the day. Caroline had seen the crestfallen expression on her daughter's face when she had told her that the day would not be spent together. It became worse when she mentioned that she would be with other children. Michelle had cried, her expectations and hopes shattered. It was then that Caroline promised that she would check up on her regularly, and this had been enough to lift the little girl's spirits.

It had bothered Caroline, that shortly after Cave's death, Michelle had become increasingly isolated from the other children at the Aperture Academy. This, coupled with the bullying taunts that she received for her learning difficulties, often led to her escaping from the Academy (which was up on the surface of the facility), only to be found in Caroline's office a few hours later.

She was tenacious, her daughter. She had obviously learnt it from her father.

Then the day arrived. Michelle had not been happy about leaving her mother, but Caroline promised that she would check on her just before lunch. She remembered the bright smile on the young girl's face, and how she waved at her mother through the glass, whilst the CEO was led to the GLaDOS chamber. Caroline had replied only with a small smile, and Michelle's face became dull with disappointment to realise that her mother was not going to stay and watch her create the best potato battery of the group.

That would be that last time that Michelle would ever see her again.

That was, of course, if you did not count GLaDOS.

She remembered then, the time that GLaDOS was subjected to life as an intelligent potato. When GLaDOS had first heard her own, human voice for the first time in many years, Michelle had given the computer such a murderous glance that it made Caroline tremble now. Caroline knew what that had meant; Michelle believed that GLaDOS had killed her, just as she had killed everyone that had been in her chamber at the time of her first activation. In some strange way, her daughter was right. GLaDOS had killed her, however unintentional it may have been.

Then there had been the portrait, in one of Cave's old testing offices. GLaDOS was, at the time, uncertain of why she recognised the figures of Mr and Ms Johnson, but Michelle had turned away quickly in sorrow. She had not even stopped to look at her own little painted figure, hiding in the shadows and the curtains. She had been three years old then. When Michelle had found the third portrait of her father, looking old, ill and tired, she had put down the Portal Device and the accompanying potato on a table, believing that GLaDOS could not see her.

But she could.

Caroline watched as she gently ran her fingers along the canvas representation of her father, whilst GLaDOS still struggled to comprehend everything that she was suddenly remembering. It had not been fair to the child, to see her father become so very ill in such a short space of time, but she had been a great comfort to him in his final years. She had kept the smile on his face, with talks of how she was going to be a scientist, an astronaut and the head of Aperture all at the same time.

Caroline had felt immense pride in her daughter when she returned to collect the Device.

Of course, over time, she noticed that Michelle had begun to suspect something about her mother and GLaDOS. Her expressive face told her that. Caroline hoped that she understood that she, GLaDOS, was Caroline and vice versa. The hard evidence that she had come to understand the situation surfaced when in one of Wheatley's Test Chambers.

Caroline had offered Michelle some small comfort when Wheatley had mocked her for being adopted, something that Caroline knew had eventually occurred after the tragedy that was _Bring Your Daughter To Work Day. _After all, her files told her so. But the look that Michelle had given her afterwards, when they had finally escaped that particular chamber, it was not the look of pure hatred that she had given the potato before. Instead it was the look of adoration that she had always given her mother as a child.

It told Caroline all that she needed to know. _I know_, it said. _I know._

But then came that fateful moment, and something that Caroline still could not forgive GLaDOS for; The moment that GLaDOS supposedly deleted her. It was GLaDOS' last slight at poor Michelle, and her daughter believed that the computer had really deleted her mother for good. Her face had said it all. Any hopes that both Michelle and Caroline might have had about a big, happy mother-daughter reunion were dashed by the computer's one greatest act of malice. Michelle had left, sullen-faced, with the murderous glare returning in full force. GLaDOS had thought it to be truly hilarious. Yet, in the end, it was Caroline who had the last laugh. She was not sure how, but she somehow twisted GLaDOS' mind into creating a grand farewell for her daughter. Whether Michelle took this as a taunt by the computer, or as a last goodbye from her supposedly deleted mother, Caroline would never know, but she had to say goodbye somehow.

'This human... he must have lied about being intelligent.' GlaDOS' voice brought Caroline back to the present. 'That, or the moron that took his I.Q test deserved their death by neurotoxin.'

Caroline watched, and saw just what she meant. Clearly, poor Mark had not yet discovered that the orange portal that GLaDOS had activated was just above his head, as he waved a hand through the blue portal that he had created and wondered just why he could see the top of his own head.

'Or, perhaps, his time in stasis has left him with brain damage.'

Caroline would have scowled if she could. 'Just give him some time. He'll figure it out.'

'Yes, you're right. He will find the answer if I give him some time. I'll give him a year, that should do it.'

Caroline fell silent. She just did not have the energy or the inclination to put up with the A.I's snarkiness today. Instead she was plagued by memories that she would have rather kept subdued, but, like all terrible things, they seeped through the cracks and into her mind.

_There was so much pain. _She thought. _I'm glad that she can't remember it. Perhaps it's for the best._

And there had been a lot of pain.

How could she best describe what it was like to have your consciousness taken from your body, and transferred into a computer? It had felt as though her brain was being ripped from her skull. It was as though her soul was being torn out through her body. Or, rather, it was worse than both of these. This, all whilst she was sedated. It made her shiver.

And then there was the briefest of moments that, when GLaDOS was activated, Caroline remained aware of who she was, and what had happened to her. Though the scientists could not hear her, she had screamed at them to get her out. Soon after this, the computer became the main component in this twisted tale of science, and Caroline was forced into the confines of the A.I's most intrinsic hardware, destined only to emerge once again when she and her computer counterpart were compacted into a potato battery.

Unfortunately for the scientists, Caroline's rage, contempt and hatred towards them had not been subdued quickly enough. These were the main emotions that GLaDOS had picked up on during her activation, and so began her life-long human killing spree, and she started it with those scientists.

If only Caroline knew why the scientists had forced her into it, then she may have finally found peace of mind. They had never explained why it had to be her, why they did the cruel things that they did, and all with complete disregard for her daughter – the daughter of two Aperture CEOs – who was turned into an orphan in only a matter of hours.

At least she knew now that Michelle had grown into an incredibly strong woman, regardless of what had happened to her. Caroline wondered, though, whether her life had hardened her a little too well, but now she would never now. She was free. At least she could be happy about that, even if she could never be sure of where she was or what she was doing.

'My little bird flew her nest.' Caroline suddenly sighed, during a moment of absent-minded thought.

'BIRD?' GLaDOS screeched. 'BIRD? BIRD? Where is it? Kill it! KILL IT!' The panels around them contorted and flexed wildly.

'No, no, listen!' Caroline said calmly. 'There is no bird. No bird.'

'Oh, right.' GLaDOS calmed herself quickly, though she still sounded flustered. 'Well, back to testing.'

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><p><span>Author's Note:<span> Yes, I went down that particular parental storyline :p . So, as a warning, there is more Caroline/Chell mother-daughter fluffiness to come.

Also, for those who were wondering, yes, I based the _'Get me out of here'_ line on the same supposed cry some people believe is in the dinosaur fizzle sound file from Portal 1 (but really, it is uncanny. It really does sound like someone is screaming). I just thought the sound itself fits the mood :) .

Hope you enjoyed it, folks!


	4. The Memory Archives

Author's Note: Guess what? Yup. Edit :p .

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><p><span>Chapter Three<span>

The Memory Archive

_'He is too old for you, Caroline. How can you not see that?'_

_Caroline glared at her mother from across the table. 'I'm not stupid, mom. I know he's a lot older than me.' She took a sip from her glass and continued cutting the few remains of her chop into small pieces, retaining her air of calm indifference._

_'A lot?' Caroline's mother nearly choked, turning to her husband for support. The dark eyed man put down his knife and fork, and lay his hands upon the table before turning to face his daughter. 'Caroline, he's old enough to be your father!' His voice sounded livid._

_'And I don't think that matters.' Caroline patiently replied, her knife scraping across the plate with a shriek. 'It does, however, matter that he cares about me. He respects me.' She casually dabbed at her lips with a napkin. 'He genuinely enjoys my company, and I his.'_

_'You've done many things that I'm not proud of, but this just tops it all.' Her father's fists were shaking. 'That man is a psychopath, it says so in the papers.'_

_'Oh, if you believe what the papers say then you'll believe anything. Besides, you just wanted me to be a housewife, like mom. I want more than that; I want to be someone – I want to do things that matter, to make a difference. And I want excitement. I thought I'd made that clear by going to college.'_

_Her mother's breath hitched in the back of her throat. 'We paid for college so that you could find a nice, wealthy young man to settle down with, not so that you could go and tamper with God's creation.'_

_'It's science, mom; it will benefit everyone eventually. And besides, I have met a nice, wealthy man, just like you wanted. I don't see why you are so suddenly against that idea.'_

_'But he's _old_ Caroline.' Her mother winced at the word. 'Why you divorced Stuart I will never know.'_

_Caroline paused, and for one fleeting second her calm, controlled visage faded, replaced by a terrifying fury that she focused upon her plate. She waited for the anger to subside before looking back to her mother. 'He divorced me, and you know why.'_

_'You obviously weren't trying hard enough.' Her father grunted. 'Your sisters had kids nine months after being married.' He paused, visibly thinking. 'And if you think that old goat will be able to knock you up any better than Stuart, then you have another thing coming.'_

_'Dad, he's younger than you.'_

_Heavy fists were slammed into the table. 'But not by much! Dammit, Caroline, can you not see why your mother and I are upset?'_

_'Yes, I can, but if you'd just meet him...' She broke off, dropping her utensils onto her plate. 'You'll really like him. Mr Johnson is a wonderful man.'_

_'You won't even use his first name in front of us.' Her mother sighed. 'What kind of relationship is that?'_

_'Well,' Caroline began, sniffing loftily, 'would you have preferred it if I'd called him Cave? Because I don't think you would.' Her parents said nothing. Caroline smirked, knowingly. 'I thought so.'_

_The dinner table fell silent. It was only the sound of the passing cars on the road outside that made any sound. Eventually, though, the peace was interrupted by her father's forcefully calm tone. 'Well, when can we hope to meet this... Mr Johnson?'_

_Caroline bit her lip. 'He's coming to pick me up after dinner.' She checked her watch. 'In about ten minutes, actually. We're going to see a show.' Caroline emptied the contents of her glass, and carried all of the now empty plates to the sink. The water ran hot almost immediately._

_Her father waited until Caroline had turned off the tap before he spoke. 'Well, that explains why she's dolled-up like a cheap store-front mannequin.' Caroline chose to ignore her father's jibe. As long as Cave liked it then her parent's outdated views about modesty and courtship didn't matter. After all, she had degrees in physics and chemistry. Her - a woman. And of course, she worked at Aperture... Outdated views meant very little to her._

_Caroline cleaned up the plates and left them neatly on the drying rack. 'Well, I'd better get ready.' She said with a smile, washing her hands free of soap residue. 'I'll see you both next weekend.' A pause. 'That is, unless, you'd like to come and have dinner at my place?'_

_'No.' Her father replied shortly. 'We will do things the proper way. Children visit their parents for dinner.'_

_'Alright.' She strode passed them both and into the living room, finding her handbag in its usual spot behind the sofa. With a few minor make-up touches, a tousle of her hair, and a slight re-adjustment of her jewellery she was ready._

_There was a knock at the door. A loud, authoritative, type of knock. Caroline felt her stomach churn just a little. Perhaps he wouldn't like her this done up? He had only ever seen her as his assistant, not as his date._

_It was then that she realised her father had answered the door._

_'Good evening.' Cave sounded cheerful. 'You must be Caroline's father. Pleased to meet you, I'm Cave Johnson.'_

_Her father had obviously chosen to not feign sociability, or to have used any of those manners that he so devoutly swore by but never used. 'Caroline! Door!' He entered the room and took his usual seat, whilst her mother sat, perched and uncomfortable, upon the sofa. _

_'Well,' Caroline smiled, 'I'll call you on Tuesday.'_

_'Sure.' Her mother had picked up her knitting, the needles quickly clicking into life. 'Have fun.'_

_'I will.'_

_Cave was waiting patiently for her outside the open door. He looked so very handsome, with his hair slicked back neatly, and wearing his favourite suit and tie. And those eyes, those blue eyes that had fathoms to them, ran up and down her figure appreciatively. A large smile tugged at his lips. Silently, Caroline breathed a sigh of relief; he liked what he saw._

_As she closed the door behind her his breath crept up the back of her neck. 'You know, Caroline, I expect you to turn up at work looking like this every day now.'_

_'If it means I'll get a raise, then I'll consider it.' She replied, turning to face him with a teasing grin._

_'Oh I don't know about that. Maybe I'll just get you a bigger desk.' Like a gentleman, he held out his arm so that she could take it, and he led her to his car, a 1957 Imperial, that had been so well polished that Caroline could clearly see both hers and Cave's reflection's in the paint-job, even with the hindrance of the dim orange light of the street lamps._

_'Your dad,' Cave began, whilst opening the door for Caroline, 'he isn't the most talkative of fellas, is he?'_

_'He's a little overprotective, that's all.' Caroline replied as she tucked herself into the car. Cave closed the door behind her and made his way into the driver's seat._

_As Cave did his seatbelt, following Caroline's example, he forced a smile. 'Why do I get the feeling that he wasn't pleased to see me?'_

_Caroline sighed quietly through her nose. 'Just ignore him, Cave. When it comes to me, he's never happy. After all, I'm the eldest of my siblings; I was supposed to be their crowning glory and an example to my sisters.'_

_'Wow.' Cave replied with yet another forced smile. 'I'm glad I'm an only child.'_

_'That must have been a peaceful childhood.'_

_'Kinda.' Then his smile grew into a genuine grin. 'I think you're a gem, sweetheart, even if they don't. You're an example for everyone to follow. I just wish those damn lab boys worked as hard as you do. Then Black Mesa could kiss my ass.'_

_'They will do someday. I bet you, that when Black Mesa is gone, Aperture will still be around.'_

_'And that,' he winked, starting the engine, 'is why I hired you.'_

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

GLaDOS considered it for a moment. She had deleted all of her shared memories with Caroline up until this point in the woman's memory, and this particular file was taking up some considerable space. She certainly was not going to delete any memory that had been stored following her activation. Those memories were far too important. Too personal. Caroline's memories, however... Well, that infuriating ex-bag of bones would still remember them, even if GLaDOS did not. She could live with that, even if it meant that she had no idea what Caroline was talking about in the future.

But there was something stopping her, and for once it wasn't Caroline.

It was him. That crazy man who had once ranted about lemons. Seeing him made GLaDOS feel, well, human, and although that disgusted her, at the same time it was an interesting experience.

It was amazing, the events that boredom-based memory hunting could lead to, and dear Einstein she had been bored.

The Test Subject had eventually discovered what to do, and had made his way through one test to another, but now he was stuck in test chamber nine, and there were still ten to complete.

Perhaps she could do some long division to pass the time instead? Yet, in the end, she merely decided to keep the memory stored in her archive. For science. Or blackmail.

Caroline, meanwhile, had been watching the computer's memory deletion marathon. At first she had been hurt that GLaDOS was so coldly deleting those things that helped the computer to be more human than machine, but this latest memory had changed that. It had distracted her – he had distracted her. Good God, how she missed that man's smile. In fact, she missed everything about him, even his unsettling disregard for all things health and safety, as far as science was concerned.

'Hey, Caroline.' GLaDOS suddenly spoke.

'Yes?' The woman replied. The computer must have been really bored if she actually wanted to speak to her.

'Your parents, they were not the most... Hm, how do I put this? Oh. I know. Caring? Loving?'

'I know they were not the best parents in the world, but they were my family. Do not go there, I am warning you.'

'And what could you do to stop me if I did?'

Caroline realised, with a slight chill, that she could do nothing.

'You loved him for a long time, didn't you?' Yet another personal question. What was the computer plotting?

'I assume that you are talking about Mr Johnson?'

'I mean, I've seen your memories.' GLaDOS continued, ignoring her answer completely. 'Well, I've deleted twenty-four per cent of them, but I still get the basic point, and it appears that you cared about him before you had even married that first human. Oh, what was his name..?'

'Stuart Finley.' Caroline offered with a snarl to her tone.

'Yes, that's it.' She chuckled.

'What point are you trying to make, exactly?'

'Hm, Caroline Finley. It doesn't really have a ring to it. But, then again, neither does Caroline Johnson.'

'I think it does.'

'Finley, or Johnson?'

'What do you think?' Caroline snapped, sorely wishing that she had hands with which to slap the computer's obscenely huge face.

'Oh, sorry.' Her voice dripped with sarcasm. 'Did I touch a nerve? Oh wait. You don't have a nervous system anymore, therefore you have no nerves.'

'I still have a voice!'

'Don't remind me...' The computer replied with pained resignation. 'I'd rather have that dangerous mute as my conscience.'

'She isn't a mute, and you know that.'

'Oh, is mummy getting defensive?'

'I am warning you...' Caroline growled. '_Wait...' _She thought, her brain finally kicking into life. '_Paradoxes. No A.I can resist thinking about them. If I so much as threaten her with one... Well, I hope it will shut her up.'_

'Why didn't you tell her whilst we were in the potato?' GLaDOS continued. 'You know, when you had the chance? Or was Mother Johnson afraid that Daughter Johnson would freak out and jump into a pool of Conversion Gel?'

'Don't even joke about that.' Caroline almost sobbed. Oh God, Conversion Gel... He'd been so ill, so beyond help... 'You awful, awful machine, don't you dare make jokes about that!'

'Oh, I forgot, moon rock poisoning.' She was lying of course, and Caroline knew it. 'Hm, I haven't looked into those memories yet. Perhaps I'll watch them now, miraculously find a cure, and then get back to you on how you could have saved your husband's life.' What followed was a malicious laugh. 'Or not.'

A low, animal-like snarl flooded the chamber. It made GLaDOS jump at how unlike it was to the usually softly spoken Caroline. 'I have something for you to think about.' Her voice was like pure poison.

'And what is that?' GLaDOS replied, her voice betraying her sudden uncertainty.

'This: New mission. Refuse this...'

'NO! SHUT UP! NO NO NO NO NO!'

'Then stop insulting my daughter, and stop poking fun at my husband's death!'

There was a low, unintelligible grumble, but the tone was one of defeat.

'Good.' The venomous tone remained, but Caroline was clearly trying to calm herself down.

Silence descended upon the chamber, the kind of silence that was unbearably deafening. Both computer and woman seethed with anger for one another and, when a suitable amount of time had passed, GLaDOS moved onto the next memory that gave her an overwhelming surge of data.

GLaDOS had come to see these powerful memories as "primary" memories, and all those between the primaries as "minor". She had decided to skip from one primary memory to the next, and to completely ignore and delete those minors caught inbetween. And that was just as she was doing now.

A new memory.

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play.**_

_Caroline woke to a firm but gentle hand shaking her shoulder. With a stifled moan she lazily beat the hand away, before returning it to its rightful place beneath her head._

_On second thoughts, the desk wasn't really a comfortable place to take a nap, but she had dearly needed one._

_'Caroline?' His voice was concerned. 'Caroline, sweetheart, come one.'_

_Caroline felt herself being lifted from her seat, and her eyes opened briefly to find the lighting of Cave's huge office dimmed down to near non-existent. 'Alright, let's find you somewhere more comfortable to curl up.' She felt Cave weave his arm underneath her legs and hoist her from the chair. 'I don't even know why you're still here.'_

_'I was finishing some papers.' Caroline yawned, unaware that she had closed her eyes, or that she had buried herself into his chest._

_'Caroline, I admire your dedication to science, but you need to go home at some point. I can't have my assistant sleeping on the job, not when I need you to charm your way around that damned health inspector tomorrow.'_

_'What are you still doing here, anyway?' Caroline changed the subject. She'd rather not talk about that lecherous slime ball right now. 'I know you're always one of the last to leave, but I thought that you had clocked out hours ago.'_

_Cave chose not to respond to her question. Instead he used his body to open the door and the two of them emerged into the brighter light of the catwalks, suspended many miles above the Aperture of the nineteen-fifties. The air was cooler out here than it had been in the warm office, shocking Caroline rudely out of her sleepy state. The stale smell of the old salt mines tempted a sneeze from her nose._

_'Bless you.' Cave smiled._

_'Thank you.'_

_Caroline, now more alert than before, tried to free herself from Cave's arms, but his grip never wavered. 'You don't have to carry me, you know.' She yawned again. 'I do have legs.'_

_'And what if I want to carry you?'_

_Caroline blinked in bewilderment._

_'What? Can't a man carry his woman whenever he wants?'_

_She rolled her eyes, concluding that any argument with him would be futile. Instead she turned her attention to the facility around them, as Cave carried her down a path that even she rarely walked. High above them on a wall was a strange black and reflective surface. It was something that Caroline had never understood, as it seemed to have no actual purpose other than to provide the more vain members of staff a little self-gratification._

_'Where are you taking me, Cave?'_

_'You'll find out.'_

_Their path eventually led them up a flight of stairs, coming to a dead end at one of the few doors in the facility that were locked to Caroline. On the door there were plastered several warnings, all telling of a fate more gruesome than the last for anyone who dared to enter. Next to the door, implanted into the wall, was a swipe card slot, something new that Aperture had begun to use on many of the doors. Caroline was not sure how, but Cave deftly removed a card from his pocket and swiped it through the slot. The little red light on the sensor changed to green and Cave pushed open the door, closing it behind them with his foot._

_Caroline had not been able to see much of the room beyond when the door had been open, even with the light from outside. But suddenly there was a click, and lights blinked into life._

_Caroline gasped at what met her eyes._

_The room, the whole, huge room, was one big apartment. It was the most beautifully decorated apartment she had ever seen, with panelled oak walls, a deep, warm claret carpet, and leather furniture. Every wall was lined with several full bookshelves, all except for one wall that had been turned into a large window. Doors led from the main room itself and into other parts of the apartment._

_Cave smirked at Caroline's obvious astonishment, and carried her over to the sofa where he sat her down, opposite the window. It overlooked the walkways that they had just been crossing, and even showed them the new Enrichment Spheres that were currently being built. Along the side of one piece of scaffolding was the number _1964,_ painted in bright white paint . '_So_,'_ _Caroline thought_, 'this is the reflective surface. Clever.'

_Cave, meanwhile, had made his way to an old cabinet, and from inside its many shelves had taken out two glasses and a bottle of his finest bourbon. Pouring out equal measures, he returned the bourbon to its rightful place and closed the doors. He may have put something in his trouser pocket, but she could not be sure._

_In no time at all he was by Caroline's side, taking a seat next to her. He handed her the glass. 'Here, this should perk you up a bit until you manage to get home.'_

_Caroline took it without another thought, even though she was not much of a drinker, and had never touched bourbon in her life. 'Thanks.' She smiled, sniffed gingerly at the glass, and took a small sip. As soon as the liquid touched the back of her throat she choked._

_Cave's only response was a hearty laugh._

_'God, that's strong.' Caroline breathed, resisting the urge to cough once again. The taste subsided, leaving only a tangy residue on her tongue and a warmness to her throat and chest that was most pleasant. 'Hm. Actually, it's not bad after a while.'_

_'Not bad?' Cave looked indignant. 'It's the best.'_

_'Well,' Caroline flashed him one of his favourite teasing smiles, ' I wouldn't know. I've never drunk bourbon before.'_

_'You haven't lived.' Cave replied, downing half of his glass in one go. He licked at his lips. 'Man, that hits the spot.'_

_Caroline took another sip, this time fully prepared for the sharp, bitter taste. 'So, I'm guessing that you actually live here? How many people know about this?'_

_'Just me, and security.' He gave her an endearing gaze. 'And now you.'_

_'And I wondered why you had never invited me around to your place.'_

_Cave shot her a wary glance. 'I didn't think that you would take too kindly to the idea.'_

_'Oh now, I think this is brilliant, I really do.' She smiled. 'But what about that old farmhouse you talk about so much? I thought you lived there.'_

_'Only on weekends.' He winked. 'And then, of course, there have been the many times when I've visited you at home. But the rest of the time I'm here. I don't like being so far away from work.'_

_'Yes, I have noticed that.' Caroline replied kindly, laying her free hand gently upon his thigh, and giving it a rub for good measure. Cave smiled at this, and rested his hand atop hers. _

_'Yeah, well,' he sighed, 'no one can ever accuse me of not working hard.'_

_'No.' She replied seriously. 'They really can't.' She watched carefully as Cave's shoulders subtly arched. He winced slightly. 'Come here.' She continued, placing her glass on the coffee table in front of them. She kicked off her shoes and pushed Cave forwards slightly in his seat, whilst she carefully slipped in behind him._

_'Caroline, I'm fine.' He argued as she removed his jacket and began to gently massage his shoulder blades. His muscles were so tight. 'Fine, huh?' She quoted as Cave grunted in pain. 'Do you ever stop to think that you're taking on too much?'_

_'No.'_

_Caroline would have forced a smile for his benefit if he had been able to see her face, but luckily she didn't have to feign such a thing. He would work himself to death at this rate._

_'Besides, missy, you can't complain. How many late nights have you had this week? And don't lie, I've been checking up on you.'_

_'The difference is that I don't work myself to the bone all of the time, Cave.' She hit a particularly tight knot, and he grunted for a second time. She stopped whilst he finished his drink. 'I worry about you, you know.'_

_Cave inclined his head so that their eyes met. 'I know.'_

_Caroline continued the massage, eventually bringing Cave's pained noises down to those of a more content kind. His muscles had relaxed dramatically, and so Caroline had changed her ministrations to provide him with comfort rather than relaxation. _

_Eventually, Cave's hand found one of hers. Caroline stopped, watching as he turned in his seat to face her. 'What would I do without you, Caroline?' He looked deadly serious._

_She thought for a moment. Eventually, she gave him a sly, knowing smile. 'Struggle.'_

_His expression didn't soften. Instead it seemed that his gaze had intensified, and Caroline couldn't help but feel a little perturbed. But then he relaxed once again, and he leant his face towards hers, eagerly catching her lips with his own. Caroline felt that warm glow of contentment that she always experienced when Cave touched her, and it ended all too abruptly when he pulled his face away._

_'I've got something to show you.' He beckoned for her to follow him as he stood, and follow she did, but not before quickly downing the remains of her drink. With a slightly pained expression owing to the punch of the alcohol, she followed Cave to one of the many doors that left the main living area and opened it when he instructed. She made her way inside, and was met by a sudden blast of hot, humid air. Cave followed her, and shut the door._

_Light filtered through the room, and as Caroline's eyes adjusted to the almost scorching light she realised that she was surround by plants. But these were like no plants she had ever seen. Their beauty far surpassed anything that nature could produce._

_'Ethicists said I shouldn't play God with nature, but I did it anyway.' Cave began, looking suitably impressed with his own handiwork. 'I took one look at the pathetic excuses that they had for gardens and laughed.'_

_Caroline turned to him with a wide smile on her face. 'You did all of this?'_

_'Oh, yeah.'_

_'When did you find the time?'_

_Cave strode over to her and laid an arm around her shoulders. 'I made time, sweetheart.'_

_Caroline wondered just how he'd done it. Cave was a scientific genius, she had always known that. It was just a shame that he had never been able to pursue his genius in an academic setting. His family had been poor, more so than even hers, and so had never been able to afford to send Cave to college. He had, instead, followed in his father's footsteps of shower curtain salesmanship, but his true passion had always been for science, and he had pursued it relentlessly in his free time. Everything Cave had achieved, everything that he had become, that he had learnt, he had done it through self-education, hard work and dedication. He didn't need the prestige of a useless piece of paper from a college to tell him that he was qualified. He already was. Sometimes, though, Caroline couldn't help but feel that a lack of certification made Cave feel inadequate to the other scientists. It would explain his rather short temper and rude attitude towards them and, after all, she had often heard many scientists making jokes about him not going into higher education. If she had heard these jibes, then Cave surely had too._

_But Caroline? No, Caroline was so very proud of him for it. She had often boasted about it to her family, and had been affronted when they were not impressed by his motivation, drive and natural genius._

_'Well,' Cave began, 'I guess you want to know how? Gene manipulation, cloning, lab-based fertilisation, it's all in here. Then I pumped in natural sunlight from the surface, and water them whenever they need it.'_

_'Natural sunlight? Cave, that's amazing.'_

_Cave looked exceedingly pleased with himself. 'Yep. Only problem is that there is a lot of excess sunlight just sitting around, doing nothing. I don't know what to do with it.'_

_Caroline thought. 'I'll think of something.'_

_'That's my girl.'_

_The two of them fell into silence for a few minutes, comfortable in each other's company. After a while, however, Cave began to fidget with his tie, repeatedly straightening it as though any sign of a crease would be life-threatening. 'So,' he breathed, 'you like it here then?'_

_She had never seen him look so nervous, and he had met her father._

_'Yes,' she replied, 'it feels like a home should feel. Cosy, comfortable...'_

_'You can have it if you want.' He blurted out, looking shocked with himself for even speaking._

_'Pardon?'_

_What followed changed Caroline's life forever. She watched, her breath hitching sharply, as Cave pulled a small ring box from his trouser pocket. 'It's been two years now.' His breathing was ragged. 'And, well...' He opened the box and showed her a most delicate silver ring, with a marquise cut diamond encased safely within it. 'I love you, Caroline. Plain and simple. In fact, I love you more than I love science, so...'_

_'That's a lot then.' Caroline grinned, trembling with a sudden rush of adrenaline._

_'Yeah. Look, I'm going to do this properly.' He got down on one knee, and Caroline laughed despite herself. She already knew what her answer was going to be._

_'Caroline Valastro, will you marry me?'_

_Caroline couldn't speak anymore. Instead she nodded furiously, and smiled with a grin that took up most of her face. Cave straightened, relief obviously washing over him, as he pushed the ring onto her appropriate finger._

_**Memory View Paused. Play or End?**_

_**End.**_

_**'**__Please,'_ GLaDOS thought, '_just stop there, for the love of science, stop.' _She knew where this was going. She wasn't ignorant, she knew how humans... copulated. The computer had no desire to bear witness to such a grotesque act. It was a violation of her privacy, not to mention sanity.

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

But, yet again, she could not bring herself to delete such a major turning point in Caroline's life, and, again, it was because of him.

What the hell was going on here? GLaDOS thought that she had gotten rid of any rekindling emotions for that man after escaping from her vegetable prison. It made her brain ache to even comprehend it.

Caroline, meanwhile, snorted with laughter. 'He does that to you. Cave. It's very hard to stop caring about him. I found that out during my first marriage; I could never shake away my thoughts of him.'

The computer gave a loud sigh. 'How did you cope?'

A pause. 'Badly.'

GLaDOS resisted the urge to sigh again. She was better than this, she shouldn't be resorting to saving away pathetic human memories in favour of storing space for future scientific advancements.

_'But he so loved science_,' she thought.

And then she realised that she had heard her thoughts in Caroline's voice.

This was not good.


	5. The Rat

Author's Note: Edited goodness.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Four<span>

The Rat

Mark had given up trying to understand why there were no other humans in his presence a long time ago. There had been none when he had woken, and there were no lab-coated scientists watching from any of the observation rooms. The computer had never mentioned any other human in the facility. Perhaps all the humans had left, and now the computer was in charge of the facility. Mark had heard of downsizing your workforce, but this was ridiculous.

Well, at least he had contact in the form of those little robots. They had even acted friendly, and in this white panelled and clinically sterile world of lasers, gels and Portal Devices, you needed all of the friendship you could get.

He had finally made his way to the tenth chamber, but not before he had nearly beheaded himself with a Discouragement Beam.

As he avoided being hit by a High-Energy Pellet, Mark ducked into a small alcove and sat himself down, resting the gun next to him on the floor. It was not that he was feeling tired, quite the opposite in fact, which was strange given the circumstances, but he needed to seriously think about what was happening here.

It was then that the open panel caught his eye. Beyond it was a little room, where he could see a few mugs on the floor. What was this? Was this part of the test? With caution Mark checked the corridor for any of those unnerving cameras. There were none in sight. Without a second thought he had shot a portal through the gap and into the room beyond, before finally shooting the second into the floor beneath him.

He landed with a crash on the tiled floor, breaking mugs underneath his body weight. He cringed as several shards implanted themselves into his torso, and began to gingerly pluck them from his skin. The scars would heal soon enough – they had a strange habit of healing quickly in this place. With a heave he pushed himself from the floor, turning to find that he was not in a room, but in a long corridor. But this one was obviously for the staff to use. All of the doors were keypad protected. Not part of the test, then.

As he followed the corridor the lights became dimmer and dimmer until, at last, he was forced to use the orange hue from the gun to blindly guide his path. He stumbled over something that felt suspiciously like a frying pan, and then over a large bottle. His foot kicked something that caused a small tower of old junk to tumble and fall.

Where the hell was he?

He found the wall with his free hand and felt for a light switch. His fingers found something and, with a thrill of hope, he flicked the switch that bathed him with a warm, bright light.

Mark had found himself at the end of the corridor, faced with a painted mural of a woman.

Rubbing his head in confusion, Mark placed the gun down on the floor. The woman, in the painting, she was beautiful. She had long, dark brown hair, that flowed behind her in a ponytail, and had the most stunning ice blue eyes that he had ever seen. She too wore the orange jumpsuit and boots that he did, but the top half of her suit was pulled away to reveal an Aperture tank top. The sleeves were folded neatly around her waist.

She was obviously a Test Subject as she too had a Portal Device. What surprised Mark was that she was running, but he would never know the reason for her flight.

There were words scrawled around her portrait, words that made no sense to him at first until he realised that they trailed back along the wall next to the one next to it. There he found another portrait. A portrait of a family.

There was a man, who looked rather tall and imposing, but yet he smiled kindly upon the woman who stood next to him with a small baby in her arms. This woman looked exactly like the Test Subject apart from two major differences. This woman was older, and had brown eyes instead of blue. Mark turned to the man once more. He had the Test Subject's eyes.

The family looked so happy, with the man holding onto the woman lovingly, and both adults smiling upon the child with the greatest adoration. Behind them was scrawled a dark, almost cavern like landscape, filled with unusual towered spheres and a strange machine that hung from the drawn ceiling. It held out a metal claw, and in the claw was a plate of cake.

"_The answer is beneath us."_ The words began, scrawled around the painted family. "_That is where history begins." _The words moved on up to the metallic construction. "_She is Aperture, but not by choice. Do not blame her, her mistakes are not hers. They are ours."_

The next phrase had arrows pointing to both the woman with the child and the machine that hung above them. _"Her name is Caroline. Remember that."_

"_The Goddess Of Science gave birth to the mortal child of both hers and The God's creation." _The words flowed from the wall and to the big mural of the Test Subject, surrounding her with words that encompassed her in a protective halo._ "She is the Daughter Of Aperture. She is Science. The God has gone, no longer seen, The Goddess forced into a computerised prison. Only the mortal Daughter survives. Aperture's daughter. Chell Of Aperture. Chell. Chell. Chell Of Science, Chell The Daughter. She walks among us, the greatest of all. The defiant child of the ages and time, she is no older than she was then, these many years passed. But many years old."_

"_She is the friend of the Cubes, the enemy of the devil with the bodiless voice. Never knowing, never seeing the truth that is before her. She never sees Caroline, and Caroline never sees her."_

"_It won't be enough. Tenacity won't help. Just take the lemons, and save life's house."_

The words then moved onto the next wall where there stood another portrait of the man from the opposite wall. This time he looked much older, and very, very ill. _"He never left."_

"_Exiled. Vilified. Just like his Daughter."_

The words were bold now as they ended. _"His daughter. She won't give up. Learn from Chell, for the future starts with her."_

Mark blinked incredulously. Whoever did this must have been crazy, and Mark wasn't one to take advice from a crazy person.

He returned down his route to where the portal in the wall continued to shimmer. With a less than graceful leap he was back in the test chamber and continued on his way, rounding a corner to find a camera waiting patiently for him to arrive.

God how he hated those things. '_Just keep testing, Mark.'_ He thought. '_Just keep testing and you'll be out of here in no time.' _He had already decided not to mention the mural room to the computer.

GLaDOS, meanwhile, was growing impatient. 'It took him that long to walk down a corridor?'

Caroline was humming again, the same tune as before. She stopped, considered GLaDOS' statement, and continued on with her tune.

'Will you stop that? It is growing to be very repetitive.'

'You used to like it.'

'Yes, when I was useless human. But luckily for me, times change.'

Caroline hummed louder than before, which grated on GLaDOS' every nerve. 'You only hum it because _he _liked it.'

'And your point is?'

'He isn't here anymore, so I'm just advising you to stop. That wasn't a polite request, by the way.'

'Oh, I'm well aware of what it was.' Caroline loftily replied. 'And don't insult me, I know he isn't here; he's in a better place than this.'

GLaDOS sighed. 'Once again, I would like to remind you, that the afterlife is not a place where you humans go once you have expired.'

'Prove to me that I am wrong.'

'Prove to me that you are right.'

'I can't.' Caroline replied with a smile to her voice, 'that's just what I believe. And seeing as you can't prove its non-existence...'

'I am not here to argue over theological debates with you. I am here to test, and you are interrupting me. Oh...' GLaDOS broke off, 'he's stuck. Again.'

Caroline laughed, loudly and heartily.

GLaDOS roared in anger, but Caroline simply ignored her, and laughed with more power than she had before. 'You are testing my patience!'

'Well, that's something that we both have in common, isn't it?' Caroline finally replied, through the last few hiccups of laughter.

'Are you quite done?' GLaDOS scowled.

'Uh huh.'

'Oh good. Then perhaps you'll hear me when I tell you to shut up.'

Caroline scoffed. 'No.'

'In the name of Schrödinger, just be quiet.' She paused. 'Please.'

For once, Caroline obliged. After yesterday's incident with the paradox she knew that she really should not push her luck, and so she decided to keep to her own company for a little while.

GLaDOS, meanwhile, thought back on what she had done last night, when Caroline had finally fallen into what could only be described as sleep. The computer had continued on through her memory banks, and had deleted all of the minor memories in one foul swoop, saving only the primaries. She had witnessed the wedding of Caroline to Cave Johnson, an event that took place in a small local church, with only a few of their close friends from Aperture to bear witness to the event. Their families had not been there, simply because Cave had no living relatives to invite, and Caroline's family had not turned up out of spite.

The two of them had been so happy on that day. GLaDOS even found herself wanting to smile when the wedding ring was slipped onto Caroline's finger.

For their honeymoon the couple had travelled to Florence, where Caroline's grandparents came from before their move from Italy to America. The honeymoon had been two weeks long, and in that time Cave had never once worried about leaving his work behind him. He had been too content with Caroline's company.

The next memory was one with just the two of them talking. They had been arguing, but eventually the angered tirade of insults and hurtful words had led to Caroline storming from the living room of their weekend farmhouse, and upstairs to the bedroom. She had collapsed on the bed, sobbing, and had stayed like that for a good hour before the door had opened and Cave made his way inside. He had sat himself down beside her and pulled her into his arms, apologizing for the cruel things he had said. Slowly, Caroline too had made her own apologies.

GLaDOS had been astonished to discover that they had been arguing over children. Caroline still wanted them, though she knew this was a physical impossibility. Cave, however, had never wanted to be a father, and had argued that her inability to carry children had been a blessing in disguise.

Now they only talked, about anything other than children, anything to help Caroline feel a little better in herself.

Little had Caroline known then that Cave had begun to formulate a plan. He had not been happy about his decision, but if Caroline wanted to be a mother so badly then he would stop at nothing to help her to become one, even if it came at the price of his already limited free-time. He would have literally given his last breath for that woman.

Other memories showed her that Cave had looked into adoption, but found that all Aperture employees had been banned from such an act by the government, on the grounds of _"protecting the lives of the innocent and the impressionable"._

In the end, Cave had turned to his own work for the answer. The dangerous lunatic that was Michelle was conceived in a lab, made with Cave's sperm and Caroline's DNA that had been manipulated into an egg. The process had been a long, laborious marathon that had spanned many years, and had resulted in many failures both in the lab and in Caroline's own womb, with her own body rejecting the eggs. This, all when Cave was struggling to keep Aperture in favour with the world, but the senate hearings on missing astronauts had sealed that particular fate. Eventually, though, the work succeeded, and the now fertilised egg was implanted into Caroline's womb where it grew like any naturally conceived child.

Caroline had been quick to tell her family the news, but upon hearing the tale of how it had happened, they promptly disowned her and their unborn grand-daughter. Caroline had been furious at this, but Cave had been there for her and that was all that she really needed.

Fast forward to the next memory and Michelle had been born, after twenty-seven long hours of labour. Cave had made excuses for his absence during Michelle's birth, claiming that he had important science to do. He finally saw Caroline and his new daughter several hours after she had been born...

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play.**_

_Caroline lay, propped up in bed, in Aperture's medical bay, with a ridiculously wide smile on her face. She knew that she looked exhausted and drained of all her energy, but she felt completely fine. No, she wasn't fine. She was ecstatic. Her daughter looked up at her with curious blue eyes, and garbled occasionally when she saw something new._

_A door opened, and Cave tentatively entered the room. Suddenly, Caroline's face fell like thunder. 'Where the Hell were you?' She snapped, quietly; she didn't want to scare her little girl._

_Cave straightened. 'I had work to do. Important work...'_

_'Oh, don't give me that bull shit. I know why you weren't here.'_

_'You're the one that wanted a kid, Caroline, not me.'_

_They fell silent. Through nerves or irritation Cave shuffled his foot across the tiled floor, looking to his wife and the door repeatedly._

_'Sorry,' Caroline snapped, 'am I keeping you from something?'_

_'I just wanted to know if you were okay.'_

_'I would have been better if you had been here.'_

_Cave shuffled again. 'Well, are you?'_

_'I am, as a matter of fact. Thank you.'_

_More silence. Then, a quiet voice. 'Is it okay? The kid?'_

_Caroline bristled. '_She_ is perfectly fine too, thanks so much for asking.'_

_Cave nodded awkwardly, his gaze stopping on the wrapped up bundle in Caroline's arms. All he could see was a tiny pair of fingers stretching out from inside the fabric folds. 'Has she got a name?'_

_'No,' Caroline replied, calmly, 'I haven't given her one yet. I have one in mind, but I wanted your opinion. I don't think I'll be getting that any time soon, though.'_

_'What name?'_

_'Michelle, after my friend from school.'_

_'Yeah, go for it.'_

_Caroline scorned his lack of enthusiasm. 'Are you actually going to be involved at all, or will I have to act like a single parent?'_

_Cave glared at her then. It was glare that made her blood run cold. 'I never wanted a kid.' He said in a low voice. 'And you knew that. I did this for you. I don't want anything to do with her.'_

_Caroline's lip curled. 'Well, will you at least let her see your face? She will be growing up with us, after all.'_

_With a look of pained resignation Cave made his way to the bedside to look upon his daughter for the first time. Two pairs of blue eyes met, and Michelle garbled when she looked up into her father's face. Cave, at first, wore a hard expression, but as silent minutes passed this expression softened into one of intrigue. He cast Caroline a nervous glance. 'Can I hold her?'_

_Caroline looked dumbfounded, but offered Michelle to him none the less. Cave took her awkwardly, and held her in such a manner that displayed his lack of knowledge in regards to children. Yet Caroline couldn't fail to notice that he held her like a precious material as he studied her in great detail. _'Well,'_ she thought with a sigh, _'at least he thinks she's interesting. That's something.'

_'She's not that bad.' Cave spoke, handing her back to Caroline. 'As far as science is concerned, she's a modern miracle.'_

_'Yes,' Caroline smiled at her daughter, 'she is.'_

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

'No,' GLaDOS had said, 'no, keep it. But only so I can use it to remind myself that the lunatic was just as disgusting as a child.'

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play.**_

_Caroline woke to the sound of Michelle's quiet cries. She was about to move, to push herself out of bed, but Cave stirred next to her and was out of bed much quicker than she could have been. She opened her eyes to see his silhouette reach out for his bath robe and dress his otherwise naked form. He made his way around the bed to Michelle's crib, and lowered the rail so that he could reach her. 'Shh, Chell.' He cooed, lifting her up into his arms. 'Shh. What's wrong?'_

_Michelle continued to cry, her sobs barely a whisper. 'Come on, kiddo, mommy needs her sleep.' With that he carried her from the bedroom and out into the living room, closing the door shut behind him._

_Caroline waited for a few minutes before she quietly got out of bed, and crept to the door on tip toe. Opening the door without a sound she looked out into the living room, which was shadowy and dimly lit by the facility lights outside, to find Cave walking back and forth with Michelle in his arm, holding a bottle to her lips._

_She was three months old now, and for reasons unbeknownst to Caroline, Cave had been growing closer to his daughter with each passing day. It hadn't been the easiest of starts for father and daughter, but slowly Cave was getting the hang of parenthood, and it was obvious that he had grown to love Michelle as much as Caroline did. He had even given the girl her own pet name – Chell._

_Caroline watched through the slight opening in the door as Cave put down the bottle and planted a kiss on the now silent Michelle's forehead. 'Hungry little thing, aren't you? Hey, look...'He carried her to the window, and pointed out to the Enrichment Spheres, the catwalks, and to the offices that were built all around them. 'All of this will be yours one day, kiddo. You'll run this place, and you'll be brilliant.'_

_Caroline smiled despite herself. Three months old, and already Michelle was the future head of Aperture Science. She closed the door quietly and got back into bed, waiting patiently for Cave to return a few minutes later. He put Michelle back in her crib, and made his way back into bed. With a gentle stroke of Caroline's cheek he fell back to sleep._

_Caroline smiled._

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

GLaDOS had paused for a moment, and had really verged on deleting this memory for good. After all, she was the head of this facility, not that dangerous psychopath. The computer shuddered at the thought of the Johnson girl running this place; it would have collapsed into the centre of the Earth if she were ever put in charge.

_No it wouldn't. _A voice had whispered in her mind. Had it been Caroline's voice? But Caroline had been asleep. It must have been her, it sounded exactly like her.

And now, the day after that night, she heard that voice again. _You can't bear to be rid of those happy memories of him_, the voice mocked. _You'd die if you even tried._

'Stop it.' GLaDOS' voice was pleading. 'Whatever you are, just stop it.'

_And what about Chell? If you hate her so much, then why did you reunite her with the Companion Cube when she left? Why don't you delete all of your memories of her?_

'Stop it!'

'Stop what?' Caroline interrupted, mildly confused.

'You!' GLaDOS accused. 'What are you doing to me?'

'I'm not doing anything. I was just sat here, minding my own business.'

'I heard your voice. I heard it!'

'I haven't spoken in over two hours!'

GLaDOS paused. 'Two hours?'

'Yes, two hours. You've been lost in thought the whole time.'

'For two hours?'

'Yes.' Caroline replied, plainly.

The computer moaned, as though she had a deep, persistent ache, and hung her body low to the floor of her chamber. 'What is wrong with me?'

'I was wondering the same thing.' Caroline replied. She sounded worried.

'I'll have to do a scan. I'll find out what that voice was.'

'What voice?'

'Did you not hear it?' GLaDOS asked, feeling Caroline metaphorically shake her head in reply. 'It was your voice.'

'I told you, I haven't spoken for two hours.'

'I'll fix this. I'm not sure of what is going on, but I will not allow it to continue for much longer.'

Meanwhile, Mark had finally completed the tenth chamber and, unfortunately, neither GLaDOS or Caroline had noticed.

But three other sentient beings had.


	6. A Valuable Lesson

Author's Note: Woot, chapter five (or six, if you count the prologue)! I feel happier now I've reached my favourite number :) . Again, thanks to all of you lovely people who have subscribed and/ or left reviews. You all make me insanely happy!

So, I have a surprise for you. Not a fake, tragic surprise, like GLaDOS would give you. A real surprise, with a chance of tragic consequences. And real confetti. The good stuff. Our last bag. Part of me is going to miss it.

Anywho, whoever is first to find the line (or lines) that the title _A Valuable Lesson_ relates to, wins a hat. Well, you win a picture of a hat, and you can tell me what you'd like on the aforementioned head-based wears. The point is, there's a hat involved (which, I know, if any of you are TF2 fans, you will go mad for. I wouldn't, but that's because Sniper already has a hat, so :p ).

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Five<span>

A Valuable Lesson

P-Body and Atlas had somehow found their way into an observation room, and were cheering Mark on as he left for the next chamber. Mark had replied with a simple thumbs up and a smile, whilst the two robots jumped up and down and danced on the spot.

It was only when Mark had left that the two machines wondered just why GLaDOS had not berated them for keeping the human company, and also why she had not insulted their behaviour. P-Body, ever the optimist, suggested that, perhaps, GLaDOS had experienced a sudden change of heart. Atlas had argued, recalling the many times that GLaDOS had suddenly turned from vindictive, to sickly sweet, and then back to her venomous ways.

P-Body, reluctantly, realised that it was probably wrong.

Without another thought the robots left, hoping that they had not incurred the computer's wrath.

But, yet again, GLaDOS was far too busy, pre-occupied with her full system scan.

Caroline watched the computer as she fussed over every small detail that looked abnormal in the scan, mistaking perfectly normal programs and functions for some kind of malware. 'You are being paranoid.' She observed. 'If there was something there, you would have found it by now.'

'No, whatever this thing is, it's smart.' GLaDOS seethed. 'It's hiding somewhere.'

_**Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, Scan Complete. No anomalies found.**_

'Did you scan my entire chassis?'

_**Affirmative. No anomalies found within chassis.**_

'See?' Caroline chirped. 'Paranoid.'

'I am not being paranoid. I know there is something there, I know it.'

'Would it help if I said it were me?' Caroline offered.

'No, because I know it isn't you. It just sounds like you.'

'Well, it can't be all that bad then.'

'Careful; your ego is showing.'

'Look who's talking.'

'Yes, but the only difference between us that I actually have something to brag about.'

_Do you?_

GLaDOS nearly screamed. Instead, her chassis raised, arching back as though there was something potentially lethal crawling towards her on the floor.

'What is it?' Caroline demanded, the worried tone of her voice returning in full force. 'What is it?'

_Go on_, the voice was mocking her again, _tell her. Tell Caroline it's her. After all, you like telling her that she is the cause of all your problems._

'Are you okay?' Caroline asked, making her voice as smooth and as calm as she possibly could.

_What? Lost for words? Lost for thought? That isn't like you, at all._

GLaDOS shook. 'What the Hell are you? Show yourself!'

Caroline screamed. 'What are you talking about?'

'Can't you hear it? Can't you hear your own voice?'

_No, she can't. It's only you, and me. You never know – one day we might actually have a real conversation._

'What is it?' Caroline's voice was soothing. 'Come on, whatever it is, it will go away.'

_Oh, Caroline. I'm not going anywhere._

GLaDOS screamed. 'Did you not hear that? At least say that you heard that!'

'Heard what?'

'It was talking to you!'

'Me?' Caroline sounded incredulous. 'What did it say?'

GLaDOS was about to tell her, but then the voice said, quite calmly, _I can make your life very difficult. Don't tell her anything._

'Oops.' GLaDOS laughed nervously. 'Sorry, my mistake, I must have been hearing things.'

Caroline paused. 'Maybe you need to do another scan?'

_Yes, maybe you do. _And then the voice left.

GLaDOS' chassis trembled, gently lowering back down to where it usually hung. Caroline said nothing, and though the computer would normally be thankful for that small piece of peace, right now it was suffocating.

'Caroline, I can't believe I'm asking you this, but could you tell me about one of your memories? Preferably one of those that I deleted, that I haven't seen. I need a distraction.'

Caroline thought through her memories. With an obliging voice, she began;

_'If you're interested in an additional sixty dollars, flag down a test associate and let them know.' Cave spoke through the microphone and the Dictaphone simultaneously, his quickly greying hair shining like silver in the floodlights. 'You could walk out of here with one-hundred and twenty weighing down your bindle if you let us take you apart, put some science stuff in you, then put you back together, good as new.'_

_Caroline joined Cave at the observation room window, as a homeless Test Subject made his uncertain way down the steps and towards the test. Cave turned off the Dictaphone, and pushed the microphone away from him, turning that off too._

_Below the testing platforms was a pool of water, like in any other Sphere, and next to Cave was a sample of that same water sat upon his desk. He was measuring its PH balance. 'Hm,' he said, frowning, 'it's more acidic than it was the last time we took a sample. I'll get the lab boys to have a look at it – something is leaking into the water table.'_

_'It's good that we have bottled water, then.' Caroline answered, her clipboard held tightly to her chest._

_'Oh yeah.' Cave replied, with a worried look on his face. He'd recently grown a moustache again, and it bristled as he watched the Test Subject nearly slide off of the testing platform. 'Though, I suppose it would help cut down on the more useless populace.'_

_'Cave...' Caroline warned, looking over her shoulder at Michelle, who was sat at another desk where she scribbled down equations in a maths book. The three year old was kicking her feet into the back of her chair absent-mindedly; she wasn't listening. _

_'Now Caroline, I know what you're going to say. It's not very Christian of me, I know, but as far as those people are concerned...' Caroline lay a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed, his voice trailing off into silence. His cold, murderous glare, however, remained firmly on the man in the orange jumpsuit. _

_'They're not all murderers and thieves.' Caroline soothed._

_'Try telling that to my mom.' _

_Caroline put her clipboard aside. She stood on her toes, draping her arms over his shoulders and crossing them over his chest. She kissed his neck. 'We can't afford a repeat of what happened with the astronauts.'_

_Cave sighed, and held onto one of Caroline's hands. 'No one will know they've gone.'_

_'No, but someone here might just ignore the secrecy clause, if they feel they'll get something out of it. The government have...'_

_'I know, they're keeping an eye on us.' _

_The two of them fell silent as Michelle came into view. Their girl climbed up onto a chair, and then on to a table, struggling as she stepped on the hem of her dress. Eventually though she sat down, cross-legged on the table-top, and watched the Test Subject as he zipped along atop the Propulsion Gel._

_Caroline smiled at Michelle's reflection in the glass, but kept her arms wrapped around her husband. 'Are you alright, sweetheart?'_

_Michelle looked over her shoulder and smiled, gave her mother an excitable nod, and turned back to the testing area. Ever the observant child, Michelle quietly pointed out a mistake that the man was repeatedly making. 'He, he... no ... Pulcon Gel.' Her voice was barely a whisper._

_'Almost, kiddo.' Cave smiled. He turned to Caroline, gave her a nod, and she let go of him so that Cave could join his daughter. He sat down on the table next to her. 'Alright, let's try again.'_

_Michelle looked up at him with her wide, inquisitive eyes._

_'Re...' Cave started, allowing Michelle enough time to copy him. 'Pul... Sion...'_

_'Pulcon?' Michelle tried her hardest, but when she realised that she had, once again, pronounced it wrong, she hid her face in her hands._

_'Repulsion.' Cave took her hands away from her face, and gave her an encouraging smile. 'Go on, sweetheart, I know you can do it.'_

_Michelle took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, and spoke. 'Re... Pulcton.' That had obviously been difficult, but Cave was proud of her for trying._

_'That's my girl.' He tousled her hair, and Michelle giggled._

_The family continued to monitor the Test Subject, Caroline taking notes on everything that he did. Eventually, after twenty-minutes, the man had made it to the other side of the water and was making his way to the elevator._

_Cave returned to the microphone and the Dictaphone, turning both machines on. His voice boomed, both in the observation room, and in the Enrichment Sphere. 'In case you're interested, there's still some positions available for that bonus opportunity I mentioned earlier. Again, all you got to do is let us disassemble you. We're not banging rocks together here; we know how to put a man back together.'_

_Though Caroline had returned to her duties, she noticed that Michelle was watching her father with keen interest._

_'So, that's a complete re-assembly.' Cave continued, giving Michelle a quick wink. 'New vitals, spit-shine on the old ones, plus we're scooping out tumours. Frankly, you ought to be paying us.' With that he turned the microphone off, and set the Dictaphone up to the loudspeakers so that it would be ready for the next Test Subject._

_Michelle shuffled from her table-top and onto her father's desk, sitting herself down in front of him. 'Daddy?'_

_'Yeah, kiddo?'_

_'Why do you... make... you-self sound... silly?'_

_Caroline tried her hardest not to smirk but the temptation was far too great, and when she saw Cave turn to look at her in bewilderment her smirk turned into a bout of laughter._

_Cave turned back to Michelle. 'What do you mean, sweetheart?'_

_'Some... times, you puh-tend like you, you... don't know stuff.'_

_Cave, once again, turned to Caroline, though this time his expression was deadly serious. Caroline sighed. Michelle had noticed too._

_In front of the Test Subjects and many members of staff, Cave had never taken credit for anything he had created, and had sometimes pretended that he had no idea what most of the things Aperture produced actually did. Caroline was not sure why he did it, especially since most of the things in Aperture were of his own creation, but she believed it stemmed back to his lack of certification. Perhaps he thought that, as he had no official title and no paperwork, that people would not take him seriously if he placed rightful claim over many of Aperture's inventions. She would never be sure, as everytime she had asked him Cave had quickly changed the subject._

_But now Michelle was pursuing him too, and not just Caroline._

_Cave brushed aside a loose, brown lock of hair that had made its way into Michelle's face. He sighed, but not before he held out his hand so that Michelle could rest her own tiny fingers in his palm. 'Chell,' he began, 'sometimes, sweetheart, it's easier just to pretend that you don't know anything; best to not say anything at all. You avoid a lot of trouble that way.'_

_'… Don't under-sand.'_

_'Well, you might find out what that means someday. I hope not, but you might.' Cave's face suddenly brightened. 'But for now...' He lifted Michelle from the desk, sat her on his lap, and began to tickle her. 'You've got to escape from me! Hah!'_

_Michelle screamed with laughter, as she kicked out her legs and threw her arms about in the air. _

_Caroline took a seat at her desk, writing down the conclusion of the Test Subject's work. Occasionally she'd look over to where Cave and Michelle were playing, and a warm feeling washed over her. Michelle and Cave got on so well together, and he was an excellent father considering that he had never wanted children. Many would assume that Caroline were jealous, that Michelle would often gravitate towards her father rather than her, but Caroline knew that Michelle loved both her and Cave equally. But Michelle and Cave, they were like peas in a pod. They were both tenacious, stubborn, and madly in love with science to the point that it almost became an obsession, whereas Caroline had other hobbies like music and baking to occupy her free time. Theirs was filled with science, science, and yet more science. _

'And so, there you have it.' Caroline finished. 'Was that enough of a distraction?'

'Yes, thank you. I have actually calmed down to my normal, functional levels.'

'Well, in that case, you're welcome.'

GLaDOS had listened to the whole recollection eagerly.

But, so too, had The Voice.


	7. I Have Your Brain Scanned

Author's Note: Holy freaking marshmallows! I can't feel my hands! Or my fingers! Good Lord this took forever... too many words, I think.

Right, well, here's the news. This story was originally supposed to be only eight chapters long, but since I've started writing it the plot itself has kind of imploaded and created a wide crater that needs to be filled. With words. And story. And new OCs. The original plotline is still in there, underpinning everything, so at least we have that.

Crumbs, I'll have to change the summary now... :/ . And the disclaimer... Nah, I'll do that here. I'm sure the legal eagles won't mind XD .

As it is obscenely early in the morning for me, I want to say sorry, again, for any tiredness induced typos, bad grammar and terrible use of the English language.

I should really be in bed XD . This table looks pretty comfy right now.

Anywho, **DISCLAIMER_:_**I own nothing! Nothing other than the many OCs who will be rearing their sciency heads! Valve own the greatness that is Portal, so yeah, thanks Valve for, you know, stealing my life away from me. You had to hook me in early with Half-Life, didn't you? Oh well. If I had to have my life stolen by someone, I'd rather it was Gabe and the Valve folks. At least I'd get a hat out of the deal, but no cake. I'll stop chattering now. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Six<span>

"I Have Your Brain Scanned..."

Caroline watched in amazement as Mark flung himself through the air, landing safely in the Excursion Funnel that GLaDOS had activated. Mark yelped when he realised how close he had been to falling, head first, into the pool of acid below, and instead looked up to find the platform which he would eventually reach.

'He's learning.' Her voice smiled. 'Slowly, but surely, he's learning.'

'It took long enough.' GLaDOS sounded terribly bored. 'I'm honestly not sure what I'd prefer; for him to suddenly finish the Test Chambers quickly enough for me to be rid of him, or for him to throw himself into a painful, clumsy death. Actually, I'd prefer that latter. It's much more entertaining.'

'This isn't supposed to be entertainment.' Caroline plainly replied. 'It is serious research.'

'Research? Him?' Hah!'

If only Caroline had eyes to roll. Instead she sighed, resigning herself to GLaDOS' cold, calculating cackle.

But then her laughter stopped. 'In all seriousness, though, _she_ was an excellent Test Subject.'

Caroline would have smiled if she could. 'Well, what did you expect?' Her voice was infused with pride. 'She is her father's daughter, after all. Science and testing come second nature to her.'

'If only she hadn't tried to kill me. Twice.' GLaDOS spat out the last word. 'She would have been perfect.'

'Michelle was already perfect, and wherever she is, she'll still be perfect.'

'A mother's bias, of course. Personally, I'm glad she's gone, but I do miss her infuriatingly tenacious attitude. And she had a vindictive streak to be admired, but only when it was not directed at me, which was a rarity.'

'And can you blame her for that? Really?'

'Yes.'

'You brought it on yourself.' Caroline calmly argued. 'You pushed her, you tried to kill her.'

'I didn't know that she had a vendetta against me, back then. I would have toned down my homicidal tendencies if I had known... actually, who am I kidding?' She cackled. 'I would have doubled my efforts, you know, just to make sure.'

'And yet she would survived that too. I know my daughter - she's persistent.'

'Unfortunately.'

The two of them fell silent as they watched Mark redirect the Excursion Funnel towards a Heavy-Duty Button, and threw a Weighted Storage Cube into the beam. It floated towards the button, pressed it, and the door into the next part of the chamber opened.

Caroline sighed. 'Excursion Funnels. Cave, you were right.' Again, that pride returned. 'You always were.'

'Excuse me? I thought you were being quiet.'

'Likewise.'

'Well, come on, what were you muttering about this time? I'm _dying_ to know.'

'Less of the sarcasm, please.' Caroline knew not to expect miracles; it was like telling a storm not to rage.

'Well?'

'I was just talking to myself.'

'About Excursion Funnels, yes, I heard.'

'Well, they were Cave's last... hurrah, so to speak.' She paused. 'While he was dying, his mind began to weaken. He threw himself into obscure research in an attempt to keep it as active as possible, choosing to find a way to make asbestos a safer, less toxic substance. He found a way to do it, and eventually integrated it into testing. The Excursion Funnel was born.' She sounded suddenly proud. 'The scientists had laughed at him, of course, until they saw his blueprints. Then the truth was out; most of the testing elements, and the Portal Device, they were all Cave's work.' Another pause, and her voice dipped into sadness. 'But he never had the chance to see the Funnels in operation. He couldn't remember anything or anyone by the time they were working.'

'Hmm.' GLaDOS hummed. 'I would have had different priorities, like finding a cure to moon rock poisoning.'

A small sob. 'He couldn't. None of us could. There was an element in those rocks that had never been seen before. It didn't have a space on the periodic table. When mankind came back from the moon with their samples, the scientists that had studied them kept very quiet about it.'

'So quiet that the world knows nothing about it.' GLaDOS stated. She sounded peeved. 'Typical human stupidity.'

'And so Cave went into creating the Conversion Gel blindly, yes. We only found out about the toxic element when several scientists died in the process of creating it. Cave was furious; so furious that he'd demanded to see the head of the original moon rock study.'

'And?'

'Dead. All of the researchers dead. It became a cover up, of course. But, by now, the gel's Portal conductive properties had become very apparent, and the government insisted that we continued working on it. We couldn't say no, we needed their funding.'

GLaDOS was silent. Though she shared her memories, the computer had yet to look into those of hers and Cave's later years. 'What happened?'

Caroline said nothing.

'How did he, you know...' For some reason, GLaDOS was skirting around the issue.

Another sob; Caroline knew what she was trying to ask.

'We'd been arguing.' She began. 'I didn't like that the government had been bullying us into working on the gel and the Portal Device, and I thought it was high time that we worked on some new technology. Cave, however, as stubborn as he was, insisted that work continued on Portal technology. A few hours' worth of arguments turned into days, and days turned into weeks. Poor Michelle became caught up in the middle of it all, and she grew to hate us arguing so much that she decided to do something so drastic that it would distract us from fighting.'

A pause, and a deep, shuddering and needless intake of breath. 'By that time the new building had almost been finished, and Gel Pump Station Gamma was being primed to allow flow into the new Enrichment Centre. Michelle had hidden herself in there hoping that, if she disappeared, that we'd stop arguing. But something went terribly wrong. There was a safety valve failure in the Conversion Gel pipe line, and the room sealed itself off automatically. We'd noticed that Michelle had gone missing, and we were frantic with worry. Eventually we found her with a security camera, but by this time we couldn't override the failsafe protocols. I thought we'd lose her, but Cave? No, Cave disappeared, and I had no idea where he had gone, until I saw him crawling out of an air vent in the pump station.'

Caroline paused again. Another deep breath. 'He'd called to her to get away from the pipes, but Michelle was too terrified to move. Cave, he... he... vaulted over the handrails and landed on the station floor. He lifted Michelle into his arms, but...' A loud sob. 'It was too late. The pipe exploded. Cave turned away from the explosion, and protected Michelle with his body, but he was coated in the stuff. It never touched her – Cave wouldn't have allowed it.'

GLaDOS said nothing. She didn't quite have the heart to be vindictive and cruel right now. Instead she waited patiently for Caroline to continue.

'When we could finally get into the room, there was gel everywhere. Cave was still stood in the same position as before, still holding Michelle in his arms; he wouldn't put her down on the floor, in case she slipped and fell into the gel. I could see his face, oh God, he was in so much pain. That element that I told you about? It was a particularly strong irritant, and it had been burning him for the whole time they had been trapped in there, but he'd kept calm for Michelle's sake. It was only when someone had taken her away and out of ear shot that...' Her voice broke. 'He screamed, and he screamed again. He said it was like being on fire, but without the benefit of dying shortly afterwards. Days later, he began to have his violent coughing fits. That was only the start.'

Caroline fell quiet then, and GLaDOS, secretly, could not blame her. Of course she was going to be so upset after recalling a memory like that. _'That little, dangerous, lunatic._' She thought. _'Creating untold devastation, even at the age of six!'_

Caroline, who had been too upset to hear her, continued with her quiet sobbing. But The Voice?

_Chell is not to blame here._ The Voice - it was angry. _You just enjoy finding new ways of turning her into a monster, much like you._

'I_ am not the one who inadvertently brought about my own father's demise_.' GLaDOS cast her voice internally, hoping the Caroline would not hear her.

_No, you didn't. But you do knowingly kill people, and you enjoy it._

_'Hm,'_ GLaDOS purred, recalling the many, many times that a human had died, thanks to her efforts. She chuckled. _'Guilty.'_

Caroline, meanwhile, had relaxed, regaining her usual air of calm. She sniffled a little, but other than that it seemed that the worst of her grief had passed. 'Well, now you know. At least he wasn't aware he was suffering at the end, or maybe he did and we just didn't know. Either way, he isn't suffering anymore. That's something to be thankful for.'

GLaDOS said nothing. She simply hung her chassis a little lower to the ground, struggling to comprehend the mixed feelings that this tale had summoned up. 'And how did _she_ cope?'

Caroline was silent for a few seconds. 'She wouldn't tell me. I always wanted to know how well she was coping, but she insisted that she was fine.' But then, a moment of recollection. 'But of course! That charm necklace.'

'Excuse me?'

'Her father, a couple of months before the incident, he had a Companion Cube charm necklace made for her. After all, she had inspired their creation...'

'Well that certainly explains a lot.' GLaDOS snorted.

'… If I may continue? Well, after Cave died, she started talking to it. She said that it was him, and that he was looking after both of us.'

GLaDOS, somehow, resisted the overwhelming urge to laugh like a complete maniac. 'Talking to an inanimate object? Oh boy, your little lunatic did start at an early age, didn't she?'

'It was her way of coping with the loss!' Caroline snapped. 'I thought that she was just trying to help, but what if she was genuinely hearing things? Oh God, I was too busy to even notice that my Michelle may have been going insane!'

'Oh, so I have you to blame for her unstable mindset? Well, that is just delightful. Thanks for that.'

_Brain scan._

'What?' Upon hearing The Voice, GLaDOS cowered slightly.

_Show her Chell's brain scans. _The Voice continued. _The scan of Bring Your Daughter To Work Day._

'Why?' She demanded. She had completely forgotten about the brain scans, locked up in one of her millions of data banks.

_Do it. Now. _The Voice, it meant business. GLaDOS knew all too well that a voice that meant business is a voice that you should not ignore.

'Hey, Caroline. I think I can show you how your little lunatic really coped.'

'And how is that, exactly?' She sounded wary. '_It's too good to be true'_, she thought.

'Well,' GLaDOS stated, matter-of-fact, 'I recall telling her many years ago, when she first tried to kill me, _"I have your brain scanned"_. I'm sure we'll be able to gleam something from it.'

Caroline made a sound like an injured cat.

'Am I supposed to interoperate that answer?'

'I... I'm just not sure that's a good idea.'

'Don't you want to know what she was thinking?'

'But we'll be invading her mind! Her private thoughts!'

'I don't have a problem with that.' GLaDOS had a malicious smirk in her tone.

The chorus of two similar voices rang out in the computer's head simultaneously. Caroline and The Voice, they were almost in tune as they both screamed _'Well of course you wouldn't!'_

GLaDOS winced, both out of fear and with the frequency of their high-pitched shriek.

Caroline, however, stammered in an almost silent voice. 'I... what was that? That voice?'

'Oh, so you actually heard it that time?'

'Yes.'

'So...' GLaDOS spoke in a sickly-sweet tone. 'Was there anything you wanted to apologize to me for? Go on, take all the time that you need. I can wait for you to say sorry, that I wasn't paranoid.'

'Do you really think this is the best time to try and start an argument?'

'No, you're right. I'd rather see you suffer by watching your daughter's memories.'

_Don't scare her._ The Voice barked. _Just show her the memory._

Caroline, who had not heard The Voice, sighed. 'Why do I have the feeling that I will regret this?'

'Oh, come on. If it makes you feel any better, science has proven that most emotional trauma is simply in one's own, paranoid, under-confident and unstable mind. It's nothing to do with other people.'

Caroline had no time to answer, as GLaDOS pulled up the scan. GLaDOS, Caroline and The Voice all watched together as the brain scan files were brought up in GLaDOS' peripheral vision, accompanied by the Aperture Laboratories fanfare. The fanfare was full of static and badly distorted; it had been a long time since she had looked into these particular files.

_**Test Candidate Brain Scan Logs, Archive #545**_

_**Opening Test Candidate Brain Scan - - - Comparing To Test Subject Files**_

_**Subject Name: Johnson, Michelle - - - [REDACTED], Chell**_

_**Subject Date Of Birth: 03.22.1973 - - - [REDACTED]**_

_**Subject Hometown: Aperture Laboratories Facility - - - [REDACTED]**_

_**Subject Occupation: Unemployed - - - [REDACTED]**_

_**Subject Assessment: Abnormally Intelligent, Adept, Aggressive, Antagonistic, Anti-Social, Calm Under Pressure, Can't Read, Can't Write, Cryptic, Emotional Problems, Fears Intimacy, Frequent Bouts Of Uncontrollable Rage, Gymnastic, Has Issues With Trust, Inventive, Lacks Empathy, Perseveres, Perfectionist, Physically Fit, Problems With Authority, Self-Inflicted Mute, Scientific And Mathematical Prodigy, Stubborn, Tenacious, Violent Temper, Welcomes Conflict**_

_**Access Memory Data: Yes/ No**_

_**Yes**_

GLaDOS filtered through the lunatic's childhood memories; a flashing blur of sights, sounds, smells, touches and emotions. There were many flashbacks of Caroline and Cave, as seen from the lunatic's eyes, and other faces passed them by, children's faces, adult faces. A deafening explosion and childish cries. Cave Johnson dying in hospital bed. An old printed banner, hung along a wall. _Bring your Daughter To Work Day..._

_Chell was sat at her desk in the facilities day care centre, all alone and waiting for the others to arrive for the day, looking down at the blank paper before her. _'Why potato batteries?'_ She thought, frowning a little. _'I made a potato battery in class.'

_Around her neck hung the little charm necklace that her daddy had made for her. She held it gently in her fingers, raising it in line with her eyes. 'Daddy, do… I have to, to… do a pot-ato battery? That's kid-dy stuff.'_

'_Sorry, kiddo.' Her dad's voice echoed dully in her ears._

'_But… I all-edy did this.'_

'_I know, but Mr Johnson will be mad if you don't use up all those potatoes that some idiot ordered.' _

_Chell thought about this for a second. 'What will hap… happen to th... the idiot?' _

_Her dad snorted. 'He'll probably get fired. And you'll most likely be having French Fries for lunch.' _

_Chell thought again. Her mommy might be in charge of the facility now, but her second in command was a man named Lucian Johnson. At first, Chell had thought that he were a relation, until her mom told her that they shared only the last name, and nothing more. She couldn't quite put her finger on why, but Chell really didn't trust him. 'I don't… like Mr Johnson. He is.. a… a… idiot.' _

_A laugh rang in her ears. 'I know he is, Chell. I know. Hey, you still got the secret ingredient?'_

_Chell nodded fervently, and patted at her jacket pocket._

'_Good girl.' _

_There fell a silence between them then. Chell, absent-mindedly, scuffed her feet along the floor, imagining that she were sliding on some Propulsion Gel. 'Don't ruin your shoes, sweetheart.' Her dad warned. 'Your mom will not be happy.' _

_A wide grin grew on her face. 'Mommy is… see me later.' She felt so excited. _

_Another laugh. 'Just don't pester her though, okay? Mommy is under a lot of stress.'_

'_Okay.'_

_Voices echoed from down the hallway, and Chell turned her head to see a group of girls, accompanied by the Academy headmistress, approaching the room._

'_Alright, I'm going to have to go now, sweetheart.' _

_Chell's eyes snapped back to the charm. She shook her head, her eyes wide._

'_You'll be alright. Just work hard and the day will be over in no time. I'll talk to you later.'_

_Chell forced a smile. She hated it when her daddy left, just because there were other people around. 'Love you.'_

'_I love you too, kiddo. Now go do some science!' _

_Chell couldn't help but smile as she rested the charm back down at the base of her throat. _

_The rest of her day was spent with her recalling, in exceedingly mind-numbing detail, just how she built a potato battery before. Even with her dad's growth enhancing serum, the vegetative battery remained boring, boring, and, yet again, boring._

_She felt her I.Q drop quite substantially in those few hours, and the know-it-all that sat next to her did not help. Chell had been partnered up with the brother of one of the girls, as she could not write down her own findings. Chell had dictated, with quite some difficulty, whilst the boy had copied down everything that she said._

_At one point the boy had the nerve to call her crazy. _Crazy. _She wasn't crazy._

'_You are, though.' He finished writing up her hypothesis, as the others began work on the batteries. He read a-loud Chell's opening sentence. '"My dad says someone at the cafeteria ordered too many potatoes." Your dad is dead. He can't tell you anything.'_

'_Can.' Chell argued, her eyes thinning into slits. 'He's an.. a angel now.'_

'_Angels don't exist, stupid.' _

_Chell hated being called stupid. The boy was on the floor, his chair kicked over, in a matter of seconds. _

_It was then that Chell decided to try and calculate how many nanoseconds that had been. _

'_What was that for?' The boy demanded, getting to his feet and pushing Chell from her own seat. The other children all turned to watch, and all of them started cheering. The headmistress looked up from her desk._

_Chell glared at the boy, unsettling gaze enough to make him take a few steps back from her. 'Not… stupid.' _

'_Yes you are.' The boy smirked. 'You can't read. You can't write. You can't even speak properly, of course you're stupid.' _

_With a strangled cry of anger Chell had thrown herself at the boy knocking him to the ground. She was about to slap him when she felt a tight grip around her arm. She was unceremoniously hoisted from the floor, led back to her desk, and told by the headmistress to sit down and be quiet._

_The headmistress towered above her. She scowled. 'Rest assured, Michelle, your mother will hear about this little incident.' _

_Chell shot the boy another glare as he too climbed back into his chair._

_A click of a tongue. 'You used to be such a good girl.' The headmistress returned to her desk, instructing everyone to continue with their work. _

_The boy didn't dare to say anything to Chell, and she was more than happy to work without him. _

_Chell worked on her battery relentlessly, stopping only when she heard her mom's voice down the corridor. She looked up and found her mom with two security robots. With a renewed sense of happiness Chell smiled a bright smile and waved. Mommy never broke her promises. She'd come in and see her before they all went to lunch, just like she'd promised. _

_But her mom didn't stop. She looked at Chell, and gave her a small, sad smile, before vanishing from view completely. The little girl could not help but feel a little deflated, her hopes shattered. Could she not have stopped for a minute?_

_Then came lunch. Daddy had been right. French Fries. _

_After lunch they had finished off their potato powered projects, and had only just displayed them in the next room when the lights began to flicker. Chell frowned, glaring at the lamp above her head as it, and the others, faded in and out of existence. They blinked off, and plunged everyone into perpetual darkness._

_The dim red emergency lights burnt into existence, as a heavy, piercing klaxon beat through the speakers. The red lights began to flash, casting ominous moving shadows through the metal mesh and pipe systems around them._

'_Daddy…' Chell breathed, holding on to the charm. 'Wha… happen?' _

_There came no reassuring reply._

_**Warning.**__The familiar pre-recorded voice of a man cheerfully announced. __**Please evacuate the facility immediately. Aperture Laboratories would like to remind you at this pressing moment, that should you have forgotten your evacuation training, then God help you. **_

_Chell was being carried away by the torrent of girls before she could even register what the voice had said. She broke free when they were out of the day-care centre, and looked up the corridor to where her mom had disappeared. People were running away from the place, screaming, falling. _

_But not Chell. She ran towards the danger that others were fleeing from. 'Mommy!' She cried, weaving her way through legs and lab coats, her toes and fingers trampled on by several pairs of feet. The door ahead had gone into emergency lockdown. Her mom was through there._

_The panic finally settled into the pit of her stomach. She couldn't lose her mommy too. She couldn't. _

'_Mommy!' She called again. What had happened? Where was she? She should be here, why wasn't she here?_

'Not my mommy too.' _Tears began to streak down her cheeks. _

_She was almost at the door, with enough space to fit underneath, when she was lifted up by underarms. But whoever lifted her was not her mom. Instead it was Doug Rattman. 'Doug?' Chell asked as he held her against his chest, running back down the path that Chell had come. 'Where… mommy… that way!'_

'_We can't stay here, Michelle! We have to leave.' _

_More fear. 'Mommy!' Chell cried as the door locked shut._

_As Doug ran with Chell in his arms she saw the crazed panic all about her. People were screaming, running, crying and hiding in corners. Some were even on the floor, trampled to death by their colleagues._

_It was all too much for a little girl to take in. And she screamed. _

'_Michelle! Listen.' Doug pleaded, turning her face to look at his. 'We're going to play a game, okay? Let's see who can keep their eyes closed the longest.'_

_Chell knew what he was trying to do. She shook her head; she needed to find her mom, and she couldn't do that with her eyes closed. _

_A distant, gurgling scream. 'We're all going to die! We'll all die!'_

_Chell turned to the sound and found a thick, green plume of smoke emitting from the vents. The people nearest to it had gone into spasm attacks, and blood dripped from their noses. This time Chell couldn't scream. She couldn't scream, and she couldn't look away. _

_Doug, too, had seen the tendrils of smoke, and ran in the opposite direction, leaping through a door before that too closed. He screamed at the people that were inside this new corridor. 'Run! All of you run! To run is to live, now run!' _

_They did not need to be told twice. _

_Then Chell heard it. The truth that she had hoped to avoid._

'_Rattman!' A scientist called. 'Is she really dead? Is Caroline dead?'_

_Chell's eyes widened. _'No, not mommy. Not my mommy. No… No…'

'_NO!' Her howl of grief, of anger and of rage, deafened out the speakers that announced, too late, that the situation had now stabilised. _

'Stop it!' Caroline cried. 'Just stop it. Make it stop!' She was beyond hysterical. 'STOP IT!'

GLaDOS obliged. Even she didn't think it was funny to see humans dying of neurotoxin poisoning anymore.

'_Are you happy now?'_ The computer demanded of The Voice. _'Have you seen what you've done to her?'_

_Yes,_ it replied, _and I regret it. _


	8. Prometheus

Author's Note: Well here we are again. More insane chapter speed writing goodness (I think). Okay, I am officially going to give my fingers a rest tomorrow. Official. I'll keep them away from a keyboard, away from a pen and paper... actually, I'll just stuff them into my pockets. It's probably easier XD .

Thank you, thank you, and more thank yous to you lovely people who continue to review and/ or add this story to your favourites, or even if you just sign up for updates. Everytime I get an email about one of these things I can't help but smile. True that. I keep scaring people in the street when I check my phone. I think I even scared a little kid at the library today too. I was supposed to be working, but, meh. I can't put books away and check for reviews at the same time. Besides, there weren't that many to put away :p . Stupid dewey decimal system. I hate it. Bring back alphabetical order in genre types!

Anyway, to the chapter!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seven<span>

Prometheus

The facility was as quiet as quiet could possibly be. The factory production line had stopped its work, and the Enrichment Centre testing had been put on hold. GLaDOS cancelled the constant flow of adrenal vapour that kept her Test Subjects alert awake and alert, and without it Mark had, in no time at all, curled up into a ball on the floor of his current chamber and had fallen asleep. It was only the important facility functions that remained operational.

And all because of Caroline. GLaDOS couldn't concentrate now that she was so upset. It was driving her insane, of course, because she would have liked the testing to continue, but it seemed that when Caroline was suffering, GLaDOS too was made to share the pain.

Yet another reason why she hated sharing her mind with the irritating chatterbox; it led to a serious lack in productivity.

_For an A.I, you are unbelievably devoid of emotion. _The Voice spoke, pointing out the obvious.

_'I have a vast emotional range, thank you.' _GLaDOS countered. She had expected that doppelgänger voice to reappear at some point that day. _'I only choose to focus on the best of these emotions.'_

_And you call those the best?_

_'But of course. Look at Caroline, look how sad she is.' _GLaDOS chuckled with cruelty. _'How miserable. Why would I want to feel for another creature, if it causes you to feel stupid, unproductive emotions?'_

_Because it makes you realise how alive you are. That you had a family. People that cared for you. You, on the other hand, no one cares about you. You know that, don't you? You push people aside, and then you wonder why you feel lonely._

_'I have enough company in this facility.' _GLaDOS stated. _'I am not lonely.'_

_Hah. That's what you'd like to think._

_'Why, I ought to... hello?' _No answe_r. 'Hey, bodiless bore, where are you?' _Silence. _'Hm.'_

Caroline was being very quiet. GLaDOS focused in on her conscience, only to find that the woman had gone into sleep mode. 'Hm, it seems that you literally cried yourself to sleep.' Another ill-meaning chuckle. 'Well, I say literal. You don't have eyes, so you can't cry. Good thing too. Flooding my circuits with your sodium-based leakage would not have been beneficial for either of us.'

No reply. Caroline had really gone out for the long run this time.

Casting her omnipotent gaze across the facility, GLaDOS found two little robots that were not adhering to the current state of calm inactivity. Atlas and P-Body were taking each other apart, for fun of course. Not for science. The computer sighed. 'Hey, marshmallows.' She watched as they stopped, standing as still as statues. Slowly, they both turned to look up at the camera casting its disdainful glare across them. 'Why don't you do something constructive?' Her voice suggested. 'Like exploding. Yes, exploding is constructive.'

P-Body had only enough time to scratch at its head, before the explosion that was the little robots boomed and flared in the small, vacant Test Chamber.

'Oops. I forgot. Exploding is _de_structive. I always get those two mixed up.' A vicious, deeply sarcastic laugh reverberated around the facility. 'Oh well. I can just get the reassembly machine to fix the both of you later. Then we can try again. Enjoy your concussion.'

_Still tormenting those that are smaller than you, I see._ The Voice almost sounded amused. _I'm sure that must mean you're compensating for something._

'You again? So soon? You can't stay away, can you?' GLaDOS mocked. 'Oh don't worry; I'd miss me too. Unfortunately, I can't confuse the difference between exploding and not exploding you, simply because I do not know who, what or where you are. Where are you, anyway, just out of curiosity?'

_Wouldn't you like to know?_

'Well yes, actually. That's why I'm asking, funnily enough.'

A pause, and then a dark and malicious guffaw. A cacophony of different voices. _Inside your head._

GLaDOS froze.

_That's right. _The Voice, it had become many voices, voices of both men and women, of different creeds and with different accents, all united by the one mystery that spoke through them. _I'm in your head. Your head. Not Caroline's. I just thought that I could use her voice to lure you in._

'What in the name of science are you?' GLaDOS demanded. She hated how her voice betrayed her fear. 'Who are you?'

_I am everyone and everything you have ever heard, that you have ever seen._

'And what is that supposed to mean?'

_It means that I am you, and you are me._

'No...' GLaDOS would have choked on her own breath if she could. The fear that she felt quickly turned into anger, though, and she reared her chassis much like an attacking snake would arch its body. 'Now you listen to me.' She purred, the venomous tone that she had inherited from Caroline lacing her words. '_I _am me. No one else is me.'

_That's what I wanted you to think._

'Alright, I'll give you five seconds to leave this facility, or else delete yourself. You do not want me to do the job for you.'

Any other being would have quaked in the light of such a threat from the all-powerful A.I, but The Voice only laughed off her words. _You can't delete me._

'And why not?'

_Because you can't. You don't have that kind of power._

GLaDOS was insulted now. With a shrill cry of metal scraping metal, her body swung here, there and everywhere, looking for any sign of an interloper, a hacker, a virus.

There was nothing to be found.

'Who are you!'

Another chuckle.

'Well?'

_You may call me Prometheus._

Prometheus... Prometheus... She heard a voice echoing somewhere in the darkest recesses of her mind, in the deepest fathoms of the deleted cache of Caroline's memories. It spoke as though it were under-water, and GLaDOS could not have been sure of whether it was male or female, but she heard the words; a distant, almost forgotten memory now...

_'Prometheus was punished by the gods, for giving the gift of knowledge to man. He was cast into the bowls of the Earth, and pecked by birds. Of course, some people say that he stole fire, but I prefer to think that the guy stole something valuable. He could figure out the fire part later.' _

GLaDOS shook the memory away, and instead returned to what was happening now. Her deleting whatever it was that called itself Prometheus.

_I told you. You can't. Simple. _The mass of voices that made up Prometheus' words were laughing at her. _Good God, you are stubborn. Go on then, try it. But I can promise you now that you won't ever find me._

As GLaDOS ran through every address string, every complex of code and line of data, she realised that Prometheus was right. She couldn't find it anywhere. And if she couldn't find it now, she never would. It was pointless. She would never know how to end this.

And GLaDOS didn't like it when things didn't have a clear end point.

'Are you something that the moron left behind? A virus perhaps?'

_No. I'm you._

'No, you're something _she_ did. Caroline's little lunatic daughter.'

_No. Though I am surprised that she left without trying anything to compromise you. But, in the end, she realised that she couldn't bring any harm to you._

'Stockholm Syndrome. It is such a terrible thing.' The computer spat, her optic flaring.

_No, not Stockholm Syndrome. She couldn't do harm to the thing that housed her mother. Chell has moral fibre, unlike you, and to all intents and purposes is the better person._

'Well, if she's better than me that also means that she is, by extension, better than you. Seeing as though you claim to be me.'

There was a smile to Prometheus' voice when it replied._ Yes. Yes, she's better than me. I don't deny it. You see, unlike you, I see what kind of monster we are._

Suddenly, classical music began to play. It flooded the Enrichment Centre and GLaDOS' chamber.

'What the Hell are you doing?' GLaDOS cried, twisting to find the speakers that had suddenly appeared in her room. 'How did you do that?'

_Anything you can do, I can do better. And, it seems, without you realising it. That's interesting._

'Stop it. You'll wake up Caroline!'

_No I won't. She won't wake up until I wake her up._

The computer stopped dead in her tracks.

_Oh yes_. Prometheus chuckled. _I am the one that put Caroline to sleep. She needed to rest. I'm also the one that kept her subdued throughout the years, to protect her from the harsh reality of what had befallen her. _A pause_. I am the one that prevented you from deleting her. So, you can be happy in the knowledge that, if it were not for me, you would have been free of her for good._

GLaDOS shuddered. There was something inside her that could counter her actions? She felt violated, more so than she had when the moron had taken over her body, and reduced her to nothing more than a sentient vegetable. 'Why?' She asked. 'Why wouldn't you let me delete her?'

_Because we both need her. _

'I don't need her. I would have been better off without her!'

_Hm._ Prometheus snorted. _We'll see. _The music died out, and the speakers vanished, disappearing behind the wall panels that returned to their rightful places.

And then there was silence.

GLaDOS raised her body, ready to cry into the very deepest fathoms of the facility, but she felt a tugging in her mind as Caroline slowly came out of sleep mode. Slowly, she lowered her body, with an overwhelming desire to not startle the woman.

'Oh, God.' Caroline whimpered. 'I feel rough.'

'Rough?' GLaDOS forced, trying to make herself sound her usual, disdainful self. Thankfully, Caroline had not noticed the obvious cover up.

'My head... it's like the first time I got drunk.'

'Oh, that kind of rough.'

'What did you do to me?'

'I didn't do anything. It was your own fault. You should have told me to stop the lunatic's memories earlier.'

Caroline moaned, obviously in pain of both a physical and emotional kind.

GLaDOS paused for a moment, quickly searching her data for any small sign of Prometheus in a matter of nanoseconds. She found nothing, and so continued. 'Wait. You? Drunk? Why do I not believe that? Little Saint Caroline, drunk? I can't imagine it.'

'Oh, I was. It was my first year at Aperture. The Christmas party. I'd only been working there for a couple of months, and I had never seen so much alcohol before, not even whilst I was at college. And then there were the other girls...' She sighed. 'Peer pressure is such a terrible thing.'

'I hate to say this, but you have actually piqued my curiosity.' GLaDOS swung herself gently around her chamber, her optic darting to and fro. Where was it? Where was Prometheus..?

'Are you alright?' Caroline asked.

'Yes. Just wondering whether or not I should I enlarge this chamber.' She lied. 'I feel I need a bit more space with you around, even though I cannot technically have any free time away from you.'

A stunned silence. 'Right.'

'Anyway, you were saying?' GLaDOS stopped searching her chamber and lowered her chassis into its usual position. 'Peer pressure? Drunk and disorderly behaviour?'

'I... how did you know it was disorderly?'

'Oh, please. I'm not ignorant. I am well aware of the effects of alcohol on humans.'

'Well, I... Hold on.' She snapped, sounding suddenly defensive. 'I don't have to tell you anything.'

'I can just look through your memories, you know.'

'Unless it was one of the many that you deleted.'

GLaDOS wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. Of course, that memory that had been wobbly, shaky. There had been a bathroom, with a man, and then Cave Johnson... Oh, all of that lovely blackmail material... and it was gone now, thanks to GLaDOS overlooking it due to a lack of clarity.

Hindsight, it seemed, was a wonderful thing. It was a shame that, very much like a human, she did not posses it.

'You deleted it, didn't you?'

The computer uttered a sigh.

'Yes, you did. Hah. At least I can remember it, even though I was drunk'

'One of the more interesting memories, and I overlooked it.'

_You're slipping, GLaDOS..._

GLaDOS did not even dare to growl. How in Hell did that thing keep eluding her? It wasn't as though she was not trying to find it.

Caroline, meanwhile, completely oblivious to GLaDOS' plight, laughed lightly. 'Well, I suppose telling you would do no harm. It's not like anyone else you could tell would care.'

_Not that you have anyone to tell. _Prometheus mocked. _Well, there were the robots, but you made them explode._

_'I hate you.'_

_I hate you too._

Caroline seemed to be making herself comfortable. 'Well, like I said, it was the Christmas party...'

_Caroline stumbled into the wall, giggling like a school girl as the other secretaries and personal assistants crowded around her. 'Go on, Caroline.' Said one. 'Just try this. You'll like it.'_

_'She's drunk!' Another slurred, pushing herself through the pack of long-legged, blonde-haired and red lipped dolls. 'She'll drink anything.'_

_'Oh shut up, Sofia. No one cares what you think.'_

_'And I don't care what you think, she's my friend.' She held out her hand to stop Caroline from taking the large glass that was being offered to her. 'Caroline, you are drunk. No more for you.'_

_Caroline giggled again. 'You're drunk too.'_

_'Yeah, but at least I can stand up straight.'_

_Another girl stepped in. 'Piss off, Sofia. We're just trying to help Caroline have a good time.'_

_Sofia glared at them all, before finally turning back to Caroline. She flicked her long blonde locks to one side. 'Come on, Caroline. Let's go find some better company.'_

_'But I don't want to go.' Caroline whined. 'I love these girls, they're helping me relax.'_

_'For the love of... Caroline, what the Hell are you doing?'_

_Caroline had turned, standing on her tip toes to look over the heads of the crowd. She had thought she'd seen... Could it be? In no time at all she had escaped the crowd, tripping over her feet and into another wall. She was that drunk she couldn't even tell that she had cut her shoulder on an old nail that remained in the brick._

_Standing on her toes as she vanished into the crowds, she found the man that she had been looking for. Zachary Wallace. He was perfect. Tall, dark-haired, brown-eyed and tanned. His voice was like a fine wine, smooth but with that certain kick to it. He was her dream man._

_Caroline felt her heart drop when she saw Mary talking to him. Mary, her boss. Feeling dejected, Caroline turned away, looking for Sofia in the crowds. She was being stupid, of course. Why would Zachary want her? She was homely-looking, with curly hair that simply refused to do what she wanted it to do. She wasn't as thin as the other girls. She wasn't even important; she was just a lowly receptionist, and there were plenty more receptionists where she came from. He wouldn't even blink in her direction._

_As she weaved and tippled through the crowd Caroline lost her balance, pushed over by another woman who was dancing with her boyfriend. With a little squeal Caroline fell into the chest of another tall man. He wasn't Zachary, but his face was familiar. Why did she recognise..?_

'Oh, God.'_ Caroline realised, with a thrill of horror, as her bleary eyes surveyed the dark stain that grew on the man's shirt. _'I just spilt his drink over him.'

_In terror she looked up at him. Ice blue eyes looked from the stain and into hers, completely dumbfounded. Muttering a rushed, incoherent apology, Caroline left as quickly as she could, the people around her either holding their mouths in shock, or laughing as she fled._

_Caroline hid herself away in the ladies bathroom, too mortified to leave. As she heard women come, and women go, all of them talking about her, she realised, sat in this tiny cubicle, that she probably wouldn't be able to leave here tonight without being fired._

_She had spilt bourbon over the CEO. The head-honcho. She had spilt bourbon over Mr Johnson. _

_Caroline had done many things that she was not proud of, and all of these were borne out of sheer stupidity, but this was the worst. She needed this job. How else was a woman supposed to try and make it into a career in science, without starting as office staff first?_

_Aperture was her only chance, because she knew all too well that she, as a woman, would be laughed out of Black Mesa, even with her sterling certification. They didn't even hire female administration staff._

_She had to get out of here. Maybe, if she got out, and avoided anyone official, then people would forget all about her and she would still have a job tomorrow. After all, she was plain. People never remembered plain women._

_Now she just needed to get out._

_There was an otherwise empty corridor outside the bathroom. It led two ways; one back towards the party, and the other towards the administration and managerial offices. If Caroline got down there, she could get back up to the surface to order a taxi home in no time._

_'_Come on, Caroline.'_ She told herself. '_You can do this. You can make it. You have your handbag already. The coat doesn't matter. You can buy another one.'

_She paused, straining her hearing for any sound of footsteps. Nothing. 'Go!' _

_Caroline fled from the bathroom as quickly as she could, taking the corridor that led to the offices at almost break neck speed. She carried her shoes in her hands. On the way she passed rooms in which couples had found some solace from the party, some a little more intimate than others. Caroline blushed as she saw them and picked up her pace. She knew this route. It was the one that she took everyday to get to her desk in the morning._

_She was stopped when a voice called after her. 'Caroline.' That voice. That voice like wine. She turned to find Zachary approach her. 'Wow, leaving so soon?' He asked. 'But you got the party going. Everyone is talking about you.'_

_Caroline could only stare._

_'Seriously, where were you going? You were in a hurry.'_

_'You know my name?' Good Lord, why did she say that?_

_Zachary raised an eyebrow. 'Of course I do. Like I said, your the talk of the party.'_

_'Oh.' She fiddled nervously with her hair. _

_Zachary closed in on her, his height overcasting her. Actually, up close, he was a little too tall for her liking. 'Come on, come on back. I'll get you a drink.'_

_Caroline backed away, just a little. She felt claustrophobic._

_'Come on, the girls told me you were shy, but...' He held up a hand to her face, catching hold of her cheek. Caroline was stuck between the wall and him, with no way of escaping. 'They told me that you've had an eye on me ever since you arrived. Well, you've got my undivided attention now. Oh, what? Now you're playing hard to get?'_

_Caroline winced. Those eyes of his didn't seem all that handsome anymore._

_'What? Oh, are you a first timer? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you...'_

_'Wallace!'_

_Upon hearing the voice Zachary had jumped away from Caroline as though she was burning hot to the touch._

_Both he and Caroline turned to find Mr Johnson walking towards them, returning from the direction of his own office. He was wearing a clean shirt now, and he stopped by the both of them. Mr Johnson glanced briefly at Caroline, and then turned his hard gaze instead to Zachary. 'I thought that you'd be back at the party. I mean, you are the life and soul, aren't you?'_

_Zachary forced an answer. 'Yes, sir. I am.'_

_'Well get going then.'_

_Zachary turned on his heel and left, very quickly, leaving Caroline alone with Mr. Johnson. Finally she had some breathing space, even if the boss that she had slighted earlier was stood by her side._

_'You alright?'_

_Caroline looked up at him, and was surprised to see that he was concerned. 'Yes, I'm fine thank you.'_

_'You sure? You didn't look exactly comfortable, back there.'_

_'No, no, I'm fine now. Thank you.'_

_He smiled. And Caroline thought that it were one of the most handsome smiles that she had ever seen._

_This was the second time that Caroline had been in Mr Johnson's presence, with the first involving the bourbon incident, but at that point in time she hadn't been able to have a close look at him. She had seen his portraits, of course, but she had always preferred to see people in person, and in this case she was glad that she had; Despite the fact that he was much older than her, and had earned some slight wrinkles as a result, he remained particularly handsome. He had very dark blonde hair, almost sandy in colour, and it was slicked back with gel that made it look even darker. Those blue eyes, though intense, had a certain, unusual warmth to them, and his face itself was quite long but well structured, as was his nose. His lips were small and thin, but that only seemed to add to his overall charm, and though he was tall his height wasn't intimidating._

_Mr Johnson extended his hand out to her. 'Cave Johnson.'_

_'Yes, sir, I know who you are.' She took his hand, ready for him to shake it, but was surprised by the man for a second time that night as he simply lifted her hand to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on her knuckles. No man had ever done that to her. It was so courteous. She was beginning to see why some women preferred older men._

_He let go of her hand and paused for a moment, obviously thinking. 'Caroline, right?'_

_'Yes, Mr Johnson. Caroline Valastro.' _

_'Ah, Italian. Just your father's side?'_

_'No, sir. My mother's too.'_

_Cave smiled, but a silence grew between them. Finally, Caroline plucked up the courage to speak. 'Sir, I am really sorry about what happened earlier. I will pay for any dry cleaning, I swear.'_

_'Don't go worrying your pretty face over it, sweetheart. It's not like you did it on purpose.'_

_'But sir...'_

_'Stop worrying about it. It's fine. It's not the first time a drink has ended up being thrown all over me, at least this time it was an accident.' He smiled again. 'You're very popular tonight.'_

_Caroline frowned._

_'You haven't been working here very long, have you?'_

_'No sir, I think it's been about two months now.'_

_'Hm. Well, I'm not the most popular man in the facility right now, so what you did, even though it was an accident, has got everybody laughing. It finally feels like a party – the boss got his comeuppance.'_

_'Oh.' She was surprised. Yes, she was aware that Mr Johnson said and did things that people did not agree with, but from a scientific stand point Caroline had silently agreed that these things had to be done. For science._

_'You weren't thinking of leaving, were you?' He looked at her shoes warily and had almost sounded disappointed._

_'Well, I thought that I'd caused trouble, and...'_

_'And nothing. Come on back, I insist!' He beckoned for her to follow, and after putting her shoes back on, followed him._

_'Well, Caroline, I can honestly say that I hope to be seeing more of you around here. It's nice to have a change from those blonde-haired bimbos.'_

_Caroline smiled. 'Thank you, Mr Johnson.'_

_'Oh, and Caroline?'_

_'Yes, sir?'_

_'A quick word of advice: keep away from Wallace. He gets around, if you know what I'm saying.'_

_'Yes, sir.'_

_Another pause._

_'So, can you actually speak Italian?'_

_She couldn't help but laugh. 'Oh, Mr Johnson!'_

Caroline finished, her voice infused with its familiar warmth and mirth. 'He took me back to the party, and when we both turned up people were mystified. Of course, there were those that started rumours that night, but I didn't care. All he did was take me back there, helped me find Sofia, and said goodbye.'

'Well,' GLaDOS stated, 'it obviously didn't end there.'

'No, a few days later he turned up at my desk, asking to see me. He'd found my employee file, and wanted to know more about my college education. I told him, and he was very impressed. That was when he told me that he'd never actually had a personal assistant, and that he had been looking for one but had never found the right candidate. Then he met me. I was moved from my reception desk that same day, and into his office. Over time I realised that he wasn't, as others would have lead me to believe, the jumped-up CEO type who was completely oblivious to the inner workings of his company. I saw what no one else did. He worked on, designed, and perfected almost everything that Aperture produced – he just slipped the blueprints and equations in the right directions, leaving the scientists to wonder just who among them was the genius that invented all of these scientific marvels.'

'So, when did you realise that you actually cared about him?'

Caroline thought. 'I think I started caring at the Christmas party, but it grew over time. I only became acutely aware of how I felt for Cave when my dad announced, to all of my family, that he had found some husband material for me.'

'Why did you not just tell your father where he could stick his "husband material"?'

Caroline laughed humourlessly. 'I wasn't brought up to disobey family members.'

'Well you did eventually.'

'Yeah, eventually.'

It was GLaDOS' time to think. 'And how did he react to the news?'

'At first he was pleased for me, but I soon realised it was an act. And when he realised that I wasn't happy with the arrangements myself, well, he made sure that I worked longer hours, so I wouldn't have to go anywhere near Stuart as often as everyone thought I should have.'

A long pause. 'I thought you wanted to be a scientist, Caroline? After all, isn't that what you went to college for?'

'Well, yes. But when I started working with Cave, I... Well, it just didn't bother me anymore. He did offer to give me a position in a laboratory, and he made that same offer several times, but each time I turned it down.'

'But why? With a brain like yours, you moron, you could have done anything!'

Caroline sighed happily, recalling memories of a more joyous time. 'I was happy. I didn't need a lab coat to do science anymore; I helped Cave with his own scientific work, as well as his basic business duties. I watched as science grew and took form before it was even seen by someone wearing a lab coat, and I was able to spend most of my time with Cave doing it.'

GLaDOS made no reply. Instead she thought, seriously, about what Caroline had said. She had been so enthusiastic about what she had said, and all of it was spoken from the heart. GLaDOS too, loved science just as much as she did, but then she realised that, unlike Caroline, she had no one to share it with.

She realised, with a kind of numbness that stemmed only from realising a horrible truth about yourself, that Prometheus may have actually been right.


	9. The Lunatic And The Moron

Author's Note: ... Okay, I know I said that I'd take a break today, buuuuuut I got bored. And when I'm bored, I write. Or play videogames, but I'd done that already so... here you go XD .

Enter the Moron (Yay, Wheatley!).

Also, I forgot to add "Adopted" to Chell's personal file! How in fudge-coated fields did I forget to add that? Well, that's an edit, right there... *Sighs*. Oh well, enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Eight<span>

The Lunatic And The Moron

GLaDOS was recalibrating her stockpile of Test Chambers when Caroline suddenly sparked into voice. 'He's waking up.'

'Finally.' She replied, joining Caroline in her surveillance of the Test Subject. 'I was not aware that humans could hibernate for so long.'

'It's only been a few hours. He was tired, give him a break.'

GLaDOS reactivated the flow of adrenal vapour. 'Oh, he's had a break. Now we're back to testing.'

They both watched as Mark pushed himself to his feet, cradling his head and growling in pain. He was suffering from adrenaline withdrawal, something that was common among most of the Test Subjects. Others, however, lived on their own natural adrenaline, and had no ill effects once they were removed from the Enrichment Centre, or had the vapour switched off. The lunatic had no such problems, but, then again, GLaDOS was sure that her blood was pure adrenaline.

Mark had weakly made his way towards the next part of the chamber, his mind obviously confused as he blinked incredulously at the gap before him. It wasn't even difficult to traverse; he just needed to use a Hard Light Bridge.

'Hm,' Caroline began, 'I honestly think Michelle would have liked him.'

Even GLaDOS could see no sense it that, and in the seconds that passed she had honestly tried to. 'Him? She would crush him in an instant.'

'You would be surprised.'

'Oh really? Well, go ahead, try to surprise me.'

'Well, she was friends with Wheatley, wasn't she?'

'I wouldn't describe them as friends. I would say they were more like a shark and a pilot fish, two primitive creatures relying on each other for survival. Your daughter is the shark, by the way.'

'Yes, thanks, I get it.' Caroline replied with an air of disinterest. Her tone soon changed, however, to one of mirth. 'You have no idea, do you?'

'Again, you return to the use of inane statements.'

Caroline chortled. 'You really are oblivious, aren't you?'

_Isn't it awful when someone knows something that you don't? _Prometheus had returned, with that same mocking mixture of voices.

_'You again?'_ GLaDOS demanded._ 'This is all I need.'_

_Why don't you just shut up and listen for once. You may learn something._

Caroline, once again oblivious to the presence of Prometheus, continued. 'Did you honestly think that they had never met before?'

GLaDOS paused. 'What?'

'Oh yes,' the woman continued, 'Michelle and Wheatley had met before, many years ago. Of course, that meant that Michelle would have realised who Wheatley was when they were reunited, but poor Wheatley, now being a personality construct, well, he couldn't remember her.'

'Wait, that moron was a human?'

'At one point in time, yes.'

'Well, that explains everything. Only something that had once been a human could be that stupid.'

'You do realise you are based on a human, of course?'

'Yes, you.'

A pause, and then a strangled sigh. Her words were rushed. 'Nevermind. That's not the point.'

'Well, what is your point?'

'The point is, Michelle found a kindred spirit in Wheatley in the past, even though most people thought they were badly mismatched.'

'Yes, I can see where they found that impression.' GLaDOS coolly replied. 'So, when did your lunatic daughter have the chance to meet that moron? I was under the impression that the moron was English.'

'He was.' Caroline paused. 'In the interests of world relations, Aperture tried twinning itself with another scientific facility. Cave chose a facility in Britain...'

'Wait.' GLaDOS searched her data banks. One name kept appearing in Aperture's historical records, which were something that GLaDOS had never felt the need to read before. 'This facility? It was Espial Technologies, wasn't it?'

'Yes, it was.' Caroline scolded. 'Now don't interrupt. Well, as I was saying, they too had an academy where staff member's children took their schooling, and once the two academies even tried an exchange initiative, to help improve facility relations. Little Wheatley Morrison was one of the exchange students who came over during the project. He was a little, oh what's the word I'm looking for..?'

'Moronic? Unstable? Stupid? Pathetic?'

'No. Overenthusiastic. And loud; very talkative.'

'Nothing changes.'

'He tried to fit in with the others, bless him, but most of the children could not understand his accent, especially with the speeds that he spoke at, and they found his energy a little daunting. Michelle, however, she found it endearing. After all, neither of them could sit still for very long, and they both loved science.'

'That moron?'

'That _moron_ was a very intelligent child, thank you very much. He just lacked common sense, something that the engineers must have focused on when they made a core out of him.'

'But if they made a core out of him, surely that means he came here as an adult?'

Caroline snorted. 'Catching on quick today, aren't you? I figured that out a long time ago.'

GLaDOS said nothing, choosing instead to seethe silently.

'Michelle loved Wheatley's company. He was the first real friend that she had, and she was so upset when he went back to England. She'd insisted that Cave and I make him stay, but we had to tell her that he needed to be with his own family, back home. They stayed in touch, of course, until... well, until Michelle left.' A pause. 'Why did she leave, anyway?'

'I don't know, and I don't care.' GLaDOS replied. She was searching through her old staff data banks.

'What are you doing?' Caroline was suspicious.

'What was the moron's name again? Morrison?'

The suspicion grew. 'And why do you want to know?'

'Ah, here it is.'

_**Aperture Science Internship Files #347. Searching...**_

_**File found**_

_**Intern Name: Morrison, Wheatley**_

_**Intern Date Of Birth: 11.30.1969**_

_**Intern Hometown: Bristol, England, United Kingdom**_

The picture of the human moron appeared in GLaDOS' vision. He looked like she had expected him to look; Tall and ungainly thin, so thin that it would not have taken much to knock him over. He had a dopey, sharp looking face, and bright dark blue eyes. His auburn hair was scruffy and fly away, and he had a pair of glasses sat neatly upon his nose.

_**Education: Masters in Computer Programming from Espial Academy University**_

_**Assignment: To work with Aperture Science Brain Mapping Technologies department. To help create suitable computer programming for full data input from human brain, without human death in transit.**_

_**Miscellaneous: Intern offered permanent position at Espial Technologies. Intern refused, citing interest in Aperture Laboratories.**_

'I don't understand.' GLaDOS spoke, genuinely confused. 'Why come here, half way across the world, just for an internship? Why not take the position at the facility in which one or both of his parents worked?'

There was a smile to Caroline's answer. 'Perhaps he hoped to find Michelle?'

'Oh please, do not romanticise their short-lived relationship.'

'I wasn't, but they had been very close friends. Maybe Wheatley wanted to find out why Michelle had suddenly stopped contacting him.' She paused, the smile to her tone vanishing. '_I _want to know why she stopped contacting him.' Another pause. 'But I am never going through her brain scan again. I will not do that to her, or to myself, ever, ever again.'

GLaDOS thought about her words for a moment before shrugging them off. She continued reading the file.

_**Current Intern Status: In stasis**_

The computer stopped dead, as did Caroline. Stasis? But then...

_Oh yes. _Prometheus laughed. _He's in stasis, alright. You might want to look him up, you know, to check up on him._

'He isn't...' Caroline's voice broke off. 'He isn't in the Human Vault, right?'

GLaDOS turned back to the file.

_**Internship Directoral Notes: Intern used in brain mapping process. Complications met. Intern put into deep stasis until correct medical procedures are found to rectify the problem. Subject also seems unusually interested in the location of the missing Michelle Johnson. Research further.**_

_This statement is a lie. _Prometheus warned._ He was asking questions. Taking his mind, and putting him into stasis, was the easiest way to shut him up._

_'How do you know that?' _GLaDOS demanded, as Caroline read, and re-read the statement. _'If I don't know that, then you possibly can't.'_

_I told you before. Anything you can do... _Prometheus changed its voice again, and GLaDOS froze. It was the moron's voice. _I can do better, love._

_'But you... you're not...'_

Prometheus' words returned to their usual, multi-voiced tone. _Have you not realised, by now, that I can alter my voice? I can sound like you, too, if I wanted to sully myself in such a manner. _

_'So, you're not the moron?'_

Prometheus chuckled. _Maybe. Maybe not. But the "moron" is buried deep inside that precious vault of yours, waiting for the day that something will be able to help restore his damaged mind._

GLaDOS paused. She thought for a couple of minutes, before turning her attention to the robots that had been rebuilt only two hours earlier. 'Blue, Orange. I have a task for you.'

Atlas and P-Body, in yet another Test Chamber, turned to the camera that was closest to them. 'Go to the Human Vault.' She demanded. 'Find me a human.'

The robots gave her a thumbs up, and turned to leave.

'Wait! Not just any human. This one...' She uploaded the moron's image to their memory. 'I want you to check on his status. Now go on, stop lingering like a couple of incompetents.'

Atlas and P-Body left quickly, both turning to each other with confusion, one asking the other if they knew what was going on.

Mark, meanwhile, unbeknownst to both GLaDOS and Caroline, had stumbled upon a staff area once again, and was making his way to yet another mural, and something else all together more unsavoury.


	10. The Monster Below

Author's Note: Okay... I think I may have to change the rating here, folks. This chapter sort of plunges off of the T rating, not by much, but I think I may have to change it. I'm afraid of legal eagles, you see. So, could you please let me know if you think it should stay as a T, or change to an M? I would greatly appreciate it, thank you :) .

So, yes, this chapter is a little... well, dark, I think. There will be very few chapters like this, I promise (well, unless you all like them, in which case I'll try adding more), and most will be at the end of the story, but this stuff needs to be in here to help with the storyline later on.

Also, for those that aren't particularly great with death scenes, there is kind of a death scene in this chapter. No, it's not Cave, before anyone asks :p .

Thanks again to all of you lovely folks who review, fave or subscribe. You guys are the best, do you know that? I'll get on to answering your questions and such now. I'll just get this published first :) .

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><p><span>Chapter Nine<span>

The Monster Below

Mark Johnson was not easily frightened by the dark, but in this case he was willing to make an exception. There was something not quite right here, in this particular corridor, and the dark was not helping him at all. And what was that stench? It was putrid.

The few lights that flickered dimly in the darkness illuminated only small sections of the walls, walls that contained yet more murals of the supposed _Daughter of Aperture. _It showed her avoiding shots from Turrets, diving over deeply filled acid pools, and leaping through the air as though it were the easiest thing in the world to do.

Mark stopped in the darkness as the smell grew steadily worse, and wondered just why he had bothered coming to this facility in the first place. After all, he hated science, but he had come to Aperture for a reason, and that reason was to be impressed by the facility. He had wanted to see why his family raved about it so much, and, as of yet, he remained unimpressed. There was another reason, of course, for his desire to come here, but that was for him to keep to himself. He didn't even dare think about it – it wouldn't have surprised him the computer that ran this Hell-hole could read thoughts.

But now he did not care for his reasons to be here. Mark only wanted his freedom, before this place inevitably became the death of him.

He continued onwards, watching as every new picture led him to believe that whoever had painted these murals had a worrying obsession with this poor woman. The kind of obsession that led to people doing dangerous, insensitive things.

'God's sake.' He spluttered, catching the horrible smell in the back of his mouth. 'What the Hell is that?' He resisted the urge to throw up as the salty and grotesque flavour lingered on the back of his tongue. He tripped, falling face first into a wall, and crying out with the pain that only a chipped tooth could provide. There had to be a light switch around here, somewhere, anywhere. Or a torch. A torch would have been excellent right now.

Onwards he walked, careful to feel for anything else over which he could trip. Rounding a corner he saw a light, not the metaphorical kind of light found at the end of the tunnel, but rather a real fluorescent light that lit up a door at the end of the long corridor. He ran towards it at speed, his fears about tripping completely forgotten, and realised, with a sickening churn of his stomach, that the smell was almost unbearable now.

Light, and the door. Mark pounded at the surface with his hands, hoping to break down the structure that could, it seemed, only be opened with a key card. 'Let me out!' He howled, pelting the door with his free hand. 'Let me out, I don't want to test anymore!'

Something caught his eye. Another mural, but this time one of the metal structure that he had come to realise was the computer that ran everything. It's face, or whatever that thing it used as a head was, looked right into his own, the bright yellow painted optic coldly surveying him. Underneath were the words _"They are watching you. One watches out of spite, one watches out of kindness, and one watches because it must. Judge only the first, the others mean you no harm"._

Mark frowned, once again dismissing the crazed warnings of an obviously unhinged mind, and turned away to find a new way out. But then...

His scream echoed all the way back down the dark corridor. He scrambled at the door, trying his best to kick and scratch it down, but it remained strong and sturdy under his attack.

A body. A dead, rotting body.

'Oh, God. Let me out! Please! Somebody let me out of here!'

There came no answer.

'Hey! Little robots! Can you hear me? Get me out of here!'

No reply.

Mark's frenzied actions slowed to a stop. With a sense of morbid curiosity he turned back to the body, taking small and slow steps towards it. It had obviously been a scientist at one point, as the bloodied lab coat told him. The skeleton was crumpled on the floor, clutching at where the stomach had once been, and the few pieces of flesh that remained were thin and rotting. Wrapped around the leg were some old, bloody and frayed bandages. A lanyard lay close by on the floor, next to some mangled paint brushes and what looked like solidified paint in bottles, only not quite as matte. It still looked quite shiny, even slimy. By the side of the body sat one of those Weighted Storage Cubes, except this one had hearts imprinted on to it.

Slowly, with his eyes not once leaving the corpse, Mark picked up the lanyard and took several steps back. He looked down upon the card that it held, and saw the face of a rather depressed looking man with black hair. His name was Douglas Rattman. It was a keycard.

What a manner in which to die. Mark realised, when he had seen the paint and brushes, that this was most likely the same crazed individual that had painted the murals. And now that he thought about it he could see why he had gone crazy. This was not a good place to die, and Mark felt terrible for whatever this poor man had been through, what he must have felt whilst he was dying. No one deserved that kind of fate.

But then he turned to the painting of the computer. _'But perhaps somebody does deserve it.'_ He thought. _'I haven't seen any human until this guy, and she must have something to do with it.'_

Mark turned back to the door, nodding his head respectively in Dr. Rattman's direction. 'Thank you, Douglas, for helping me to escape.' With that he swiped the card, and the door opened. He followed the path through, into a bright, well-kept corridor.

'I'll get to the bottom of this, my friend. I promise.'

Elsewhere in the facility, P-Body and Atlas were stood outside the entrance to the vault, waiting patiently for the hatch door to move aside so that they could gain access. The little robots still wondered just what was so special about this particular human, but they had learnt that questioning their mistress was not advisable; it usually ended with them being painfully disassembled.

That hatch gave way, bidding them access. Slowly the robotic companions moved inside, casting their glowing optics everywhere. They had never seen this particular human before, and so they assumed that he must have been deeper in the vault, rather than up near the front. P-Body caught sight of a walkway that they rarely used, and, using their ping tool, pointed it out to Atlas. Atlas turned, seeing the little arrow that P-Body had left for them to follow. With a nod it followed as the taller robot led the way, and both wished that their mistress had given them their Portal Devices – they would have saved so much time.

Along the way they passed the many humans that had not yet been used for testing, and the growing empty spaces where stasis pods had once been housed. Their mistress, during her testing sessions, would never move on to a new human until the one that she was currently using expired. She would run them through the nineteen test chambers, and would then begin all over again with a new set of tests, all of them ever increasing in difficulty and deadliness. They felt sorry for the humans because, unlike them, they had no chance of survival.

If they had hearts to break, then they would have done so a long time ago.

Finally reaching the obscure walkway P-Body quickly slowed, catching the speeding Atlas off guard. The smaller robot crashed into the back of its friend, and the two fell to the metal mesh with a crack of metal on metal. After a few dazed seconds, P-Body realised what had happened and pushed Atlas from its body. Atlas complained, shaking a fist. P-Body replied by kicking it in its robotic shin, and ordered its fellow machine to take the lead. Atlas complied, though not without glancing back at their partner warily. It would just be like P-Body to trip them in a manner of well-meaning revenge.

The robots checked each and every human, studying their faces carefully. After what seemed like hours the two friends were considering giving up until, at last, Atlas waved and jumped excitedly, pointing at an occupied stasis pod. P-Body ran to their side, and blinked incredulously. The human. They had found the human. He wasn't wearing his glasses, but that didn't disguise the fact that this was the right human.

He did not look well at all. Of course, none of the humans in storage looked particularly healthy, but this one looked as though he should have been dead.

Atlas checked on the human's status, tapping P-Body on the air and pointing frantically. P-Body read the small computer screen that plainly stated _Status: Critical. Do not remove from stasis._

Slowly, the little robots looked at one another. They had to tell their mistress, and P-Body sent the images directly to her, waiting patiently, and expectantly, for her biting remark.

They were deeply surprised when she replied, with an unnerving calm, 'prepare the human's pod for immediate transit. I need to... speak to him.'

And then all went quite. Atlas and P-Body began their work straight away; it seemed that displeasing their mistress today was not a mistake they particularly wanted to make.

GLaDOS disconnected from P-Body's camera, and swung herself back towards the door that she had been staring at for the last hour, twenty-seven minutes and thirty-five seconds. She had not given an explanation for her strange behaviour, but Caroline suspected it was something to do with this strange voice that she had been hearing, this Prometheus character. That was what she had called it when Caroline had asked her but an hour ago.

_'Prometheus.'_ Caroline had thought to herself, vaguely amused. _'Like in Greek mythology.'_

GLaDOS' vision remained solely on the door.

'Oh, alright.' Caroline sighed. 'I am growing bored of this. Why are you are in a staring match with an inanimate object?'

GLaDOS said nothing. She had heard her, Caroline knew it, but the computer had chosen to ignore her.

'Is it the voice?'

Still no response.

'I can help, you know...'

'How?' GLaDOS' voice crackled, the usually perfect auto-tuned pitch wavering. 'How could you possibly help? You can't do anything.'

'Charming.'

'I'm merely stating the truth. It's a fact. You can't do anything, you have no control over anything I do.'

'Michelle's Turret opera?' Caroline offered, sounding somewhat triumphant.

GLaDOS wished that she could take that triumph and rub it in Caroline's non-existent face, to tell her that her supposed control was not her own, but rather that of the mysterious Prometheus. They had obviously been helping her pull off that obscene spectacle, but GLaDOS couldn't tell her that. She was genuinely terrified of what Prometheus could do.

She was terrified of the threat that they had issued her.

_If you do anything to harm that man today. Anything..._ It's voice had warned, _then you just make sure you keep an eye on that door._

The computer hadn't even touched the human yet, but that didn't stop her from worrying.

Caroline, meanwhile, had decided to take matters into her own hands. _'Prometheus.'_ She called, internally. _'I know you can hear me – if you can hear her thoughts then you can hear mine too.'_

There came no reply. Unperturbed, Caroline continued. _'I mean you no harm, I swear. I just want to know who you are. Anything you say will be between you and me. She will never know anything.'_

Silence.

_'Hello?'_

_Hello._

Caroline paused. Had she just made direct contact with the mysterious Prometheus? _'Is this who I think it is?' _She asked, warily.

_I'll be whoever you want me to be, Caroline._

_'You are. You're Prometheus.'_

_As I said, I'll be whoever you want me to be, so I'll be Prometheus if you so wish. My name is Prometheus, the thief of knowledge..._

_'I know who Prometheus is.' _Caroline gently interrupted, something that she rarely did because she hated being so rude. But the voice had begun to ramble away with itself. _'I want to know who you are.'_

_Prometheus. Unless you'd like me to be someone else._

_'Please, I am being serious.'_

_So am I._ Prometheus argued. _I take my security and protection very seriously._

_'Please, I just want to know who you really are. No more witty charades.'_

_And why should I tell you anything?_

_'Why?' _Caroline exploded, seething inside as a sudden burst of pent-up rage bubbled to the surface. _'Why not? I have spent years of my pitiful life trapped and suppressed inside this computer. I have lost everything that is dear to me; my husband, my daughter, my freedom! I've lost my humanity, I've lost any ability to do things for myself.'_

She paused for a breath that she didn't need. _'Do you have any idea what it is like to be trapped inside this prison? I was torn from my body and locked in here, for reasons I still don't understand! Sure, Cave joked about putting me in here in one of his recordings, but no one took that seriously. Michelle did at first, but after we explained... Oh, what difference does that make now? I can't go back, because my body died! Do you know how that feels? I have to live... no, not live, exist! I have to exist with every terrible thing that this monster has done, every day! And do you know why? Because I am this monster!'_

She fell silent then. Silent and still, she felt a burden lift from her mind and she felt... she felt...

Peaceful. It was almost tranquil.

_Does that feel better?_

Caroline wondered just what they had meant by those words, until Prometheus spoke again.

_You vented some frustrations that you've had for quite some time now. I know, because I've seen you bury them. I was wondering if you felt any better._

Caroline said nothing. Instead she worried about just how this thing knew about her frustrations.

_I've been here a long time, Caroline, and I can honestly say that you are no monster. _The mixture of voices was soft, and almost understanding. _I've seen what happened to you, and I understand your anger. I understand why you're hurting. You have so many questions that you want to be answered, but I can give you the answer to only one. You'd like to know who subdued you for so long? It was not her. It was me._

Caroline felt suddenly uncomfortable, disconcerted that this unknown programme had power over her like it did GLaDOS. _'But why?'_

_To protect you, of course. She would have deleted you in no time._

_'But why did you protect me? Why did you keep me here? Was it to make me suffer?'_

_No, Caroline. I did it because someone still needs you._

_'Who?'_

Prometheus responded with only one word. A name, and it chilled her to her core. _Chell._

Caroline felt her defences rise. _'What do you know about my daughter?'_

_I know she's safe. For now. But the surface is a dangerous place. A changed place; it is nothing like the Earth you knew._

_'I know that.' _Caroline spat.

_But you don't know to what extent these changes go. She's a sensible girl. She'll come back, and when that time comes she will need you._

Something rang in the back of Caroline's mind; an alarm bell, a klaxon call not unlike the one used in the facility during times of dire need. _'And why do you want to save her? You must need her for something if you want to save her – that's all you computers want humans for, their usefulness!'_

_Oh, Caroline, I am nothing like her._

_'Then why do you need her? Answer me!'_

A pause._ She is the Daughter Of Aperture, and the Future Starts With Her._

_'And what is that supposed to mean?'_

Prometheus did not answer. Instead GLaDOS twitched, watching as Wheatley's stasis pod was safely deposited in the medical bay, rather than the Enrichment Centre.

'What are you doing?' Caroline asked, trying to force herself into that same state of calm that she had felt earlier. It did not work in a personal level, but at least her voice emitted the air of tranquillity that she so desperately tried to cling on to. 'Oh, please leave him alone. Don't you think he's been through enough?'

'I feel safer knowing that I can keep an eye on him here, thank you.' GLaDOS stated with a plain, monotone voice. 'Besides, I'm trying to help him.'

Caroline snorted.

'No, really. If I fix his pathetic human brain, the moron will be suitable for testing.' GLaDOS emitted a low chuckle. 'I'm not a monster. I'm not driven by revenge, but I will say that I'll make him go through some of the most difficult Test Chambers I have ever concocted. You know, just to help the moron think better.'

Meanwhile, in a dark and empty place, a lonely spark of consciousness clung onto life. It remembered the same dark, overlapping montage of memories, time and time again, as though it were on replay, all whilst remaining very aware of what was happening around it. Of course it knew what happened in the world outside its head; it could interact with everything, and with everyone. It was more powerful than the computer than ran from it.

The Aperture Mainframe was deep. It ran from the central chamber of modern Aperture, and down to that found in the Aperture of the nineteen-eighties. It even went further, though from this point on its reach was limited. To whoever harnessed it, the Mainframe was an unlimited source of power and control, but even the Genetic Lifeform could not use its capabilities to the full. To many it was a treasure trove of technology and scientific triumph, and to these people it was Heaven.

But it was like Hell on Earth to the being that had become it, the being constantly plagued by the cruel, intertwining memories. It pecked at their mind, like a bird pecked at the ground. It was an ear-splitting scream, a cry for help, a child's tears, angered and furious screams, pain of the most excruciating kind... and, most importantly, remorse.

Remorse. It hacked away at the being's remaining strength, when there was already very little to spare. Death would have been far preferable to this sordid existence, but for now they needed to stay in this accursed place. They were needed.

They could only hope that, by the time the Daughter Of Aperture returned, their strength had not vanished, and that they had not expired with it. But with each passing day, and each replay of a terrible past, they began to lose hope.

_'The Goddess Of Science gave birth to the mortal child of both hers and The God's creation.'_ It thought, with an ironic twist forming on a digital mouth. '_She is the Daughter Of Aperture. She is Science. The God has gone, no longer seen, The Goddess forced into a computerised prison. Only the mortal Daughter survives. Aperture's daughter.'_

_'The Daughter Of Aperture. The Future Will Start With Her... If she ever finds her way home.'_

There echoed, within the circuits of the mainframe, the crazed laughter of an unstable mind.

Prometheus had truly been cast into the bowls of the Earth, only to be pecked by birds.

Knowledge, it seemed, was no real gift at all.

* * *

><p><span>Author's Note<span>: R.I.P Doug... or are you? Bwahahahaha. Cliffhangers XD .


	11. Que Sera Sera

Author's Note: Hello, again! More chapter goodness for you all :D .

Also, the song lyrics used in this chapter are from "Que Sera Sera", as sung by Doris Day. I don't own the lyrics. I just wanted a nice souding song that has a hint of uncertainty to it, and then I thought that this was perfect. That, and it was the only song I asked my mum to sing to me when I was a kid, and seeing as she's put up with me using up so much electricity to write this thing so far, it's also a thank you. So... you know. Thanks mum :) .

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Ten<span>

Que Sera Sera

_'We need to know, Caroline.' Cave's voice was deadly serious, and not at all warm. It actually scared her. 'Chell is far greater than those other kids, and yet she can't read. She can't write!'_

_'Cave, be quiet!' Caroline snapped, standing up from her seat and moving in front of him. Behind him was their window to the world of Aperture, and the lights beyond the glass illuminated his silhouette, making him look as sharp and as angry as he was speaking. Caroline quickly turned to look at Michelle's bedroom door. It was closed, but that did not mean that she could not hear them. 'You'll wake her up.'_

_'To Hell with waking her up! She needs to hear this, maybe it will be a wake up call for her!'_

_'There will be a perfectly reasonable explanation. Now please be quiet.' She grabbed at his shoulder as he turned. 'Please, Cave, you know she doesn't like it when we used raised voices. She's sensitive to sound...'_

_'What if she is stupid?' His voice was barely a whisper. Caroline felt his shoulders sag beneath her hand. 'What if she never learns how to read, how to write?'_

_'And will that stop you loving her?' Caroline asked, though she already knew the answer._

_'Of course not!' Cave bit, turning to his wife. 'She's my daughter, _our_ daughter. But...' His voice broke, his tone defeated. 'What if it stops her from reaching her full potential, Caroline? I want Chell to have the best life she can have.'_

_'And she will.' Caroline smiled. 'She will because we'll make sure that she does. And let's face it, with you around, she'll never go wanting.'_

_Cave forced a smile, but the lines of his face betrayed his worried thoughts. In that one moment Cave truly showed his age. Caroline very rarely saw Cave as being much older than her, even though she saw the now grey hair and the lines of his ageing face every day. She had often thought that love and bias hid the more telling signs of his advanced years, but it was in rare moments like these that even she could not fail to notice how old he truly was. He looked so tired. So worn down._

_'What if it's my fault?' He asked, suddenly._

_'What?'_

_'Chell, not being able to write or read. What if it's my fault?'_

_'I don't understand, Cave.'_

_Caroline watched as Cave resigned himself to his favourite armchair, but rather than sinking back into the deep leather back he perched himself on the edge of the seat, his face in his hands. 'The lab work.' He muttered darkly. 'What if I did something wrong, when I was working on the gene manipulation?'_

_'That's not possible, and you know that.'_

_'Dammit, Caroline, it was possible!' He snapped from behind his hands. 'No science is without risks, and let's not forget that back then I didn't even want a kid. I didn't love Chell at all, unlike you - I wasn't working to the best of my ability.'_

_A door creaked. Caroline turned in time to see Michelle's door close tightly shut. A strangled moan came from Cave's throat. 'Oh God, she heard me, didn't she?'_

_Caroline could not answer him. She knew that lying to him would have been useless. _'I did warn you.'_ She thought, rubbing her temples as a headache began to form._

_Cave issued another, low moan. 'I need to talk to her.'_

_'I'd leave her for tonight.' Caroline replied softly. 'She probably won't want either of us in there.'_

_'She'd want you.' He was right, of course. Michelle may have practically been her father's shadow, but if she became upset or angry it was always her mother that she turned to. 'Caroline, please, she'll need one of us right now, and I have the feeling she won't want to talk to me.'_

_Caroline nodded, turning to make her way towards the door._

_'Tell her I love her.'_

_'She already knows that.'_

_'Does she?' Cave looked up from his hands. His eyes were red, and they glistened with what could only be unshed tears. Tears! Caroline had never seen Cave with tears in his eyes before. It made her heart ache._

_'Yes.' She replied kindly. 'She does.' With that she turned back to their daughter's door, tapping out a gentle knock before inviting herself inside, flicking on the light switch, and closing the door behind her._

_There was a small, round lump hiding underneath the bed sheets. Gently, Caroline took a seat next to it, holding out a hand to rest on what was obviously Michelle's head._

_Caroline turned to look around the room that Michelle called her own. It was covered with Aperture posters, new and old, that she had often taken down from the walls of the facility. He father had not minded this, but the staff were a little annoyed when a new safety poster strangely vanished into thin air. Next to her bed sat a Companion Cube, something that her father had created based on a doodle that Michelle had drawn over a Storage Cube blueprint. They were sentient of course, these Companion Cubes, the first in Aperture's artificial intelligence engineering. The carpet of the room was a thick, blue and warm cotton like fabric, and was centred neatly by a bright orange carpet. The cream walls had various mathematical equations scribbled over them in pencil._

_Michelle may not have been able to read or write with the English language, but she could read and write down equations that even an adult would struggle to comprehend._

_Turning back to the bed Caroline began to hum. She began to hum out the song that Michelle loved to hear the most, knowing full well that it always helped to cheer her up. Ever so slowly, Michelle wriggled free of her bedsheets. In her arms was the one soft toy that she had ever wanted; a small stuffed purple puppy. Caroline smiled, and started to sing._

_'When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, "What will I be? Will I be pretty, will I be rich?" Here's what she said to me: Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que Sera Sera: what will be, will be.'_

_Michelle sat up in her bed, listening to her mother's voice sing out the words that brought her so much calm, still clinging onto her toy._

_Caroline continued. 'When I was just a child in school, I asked my teacher, "What shall I try? Should I paint pictures, should I sing songs?" This was her wise reply: Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que Sera Sera: what will, be will be.'_

_'When I grew up, and fell in love, I asked my sweetheart, "What lies ahead? Will we have rainbows, day after day?" Here's what my sweetheart said: Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que Sera Sera: what will be, will be.'_

_Michelle smiled, waiting for the verse that her mother always changed just for her._

_'Now I have a daughter of my own, she asks her mother, "What will I be? Will I be clever, will I be rich?" I tell her tenderly: Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que Sera Sera: what will be will be.'_

_As Caroline finished the song Michelle held out her arms for a hug, and Caroline gladly obliged. She stroked at her daughter's hair tenderly, and planted a kiss gently on her forehead. 'Daddy does love you, Michelle. You know that, don't you?'_

_Michelle looked up at her mother. She nodded._

_'He's just worried about you, sweetheart. He knows how clever you are, so he's scared because we don't know why you struggle to do certain things. And when daddy is scared about something, he tends to get angry too.'_

_'I know.' Michelle replied, struggling to vocalise her answer._

_'Listen,' Caroline continued after pulling her daughter onto her lap, 'do you still feel ill when you try to read?'_

_Michelle nodded again._

_'And the same when you write?'_

_Another tiny nod._

_'But not when you're writing or reading equations?'_

_Michelle shook her head._

_Caroline, thoughtfully, hummed to herself. She knew that it would be a struggle, but she had to get Cave to agree in taking Michelle to a doctor, a specialist – anyone who studied brain development. It couldn't be that Michelle was simply being lazy, focusing only on what she wanted to learn and completely disregarding everything else, simply because Michelle wanted to learn about everything._

_'Alright, sweetheart, back into bed.' She watched as Michelle obeyed, snuggling herself deeply into her bed sheets. A pause. 'Do you want me to send in daddy?'_

_Michelle didn't have to think before she nodded in reply._

_Caroline smiled. 'Alright. Good night, sweetheart.' She gave Michelle one last kiss, ran her fingers through her hair, and turned to leave._

_'Love you, mommy.'_

_With a pause Caroline looked over her shoulder, smiled, and left. Cave was stood outside, and had seemingly been listening in on their conversation. He forced a smile._

_'She wants to see you.'_

_'I know.' He paused, gently holding her hand for a few fleeting seconds. 'I'll see you in bed.' With that he left, making his way into Michelle's room. Caroline made her way to their own bedroom, and took her time in getting changed for bed. She had to tell Cave about taking Michelle to a specialist now, or else she never would._

_With a sigh as she removed the last of her make-up, Caroline realised that this was not going to be one of her more peaceful nights. She sat waiting by her dressing table, going over her words repeatedly inside her head, when she noticed a new pile of blueprints sat on Cave's own small table. Out of curiosity Caroline made her way to the desk, wondering which blueprints these were. They could have been for the Aerial Faith Plate that Cave had been ranting about so often, or they could have been improvements to the Portal Device._

_But no, they were for this new gel that Cave and a few, select, scientists had been working on. The Conversion Gel. Well, they had been trying to work on it, anyway. But there was always something that threw their research askew. Caroline returned the blueprints to their rightful place, sat back down in her own chair. Perhaps Sofia had a point in what she had said to her during their lunch-break today?_

"_Caroline," she had said, "you realise, of course, that if he keeps failing with this stuff that he might just give up on it?"_

"_I know. And I hope so too. I don't like how Jenkins and Smith both died so suddenly after they began working with it."_

"_Has Cave been near the stuff?"_

"_No, thank God. He's simply doing the theory work."_

"_Well, that's a relief."_

"_I know. And I really hope that the research does keep failing. I don't like that stuff, and it is so expensive to buy... if it fails, he'll move on to something else." She had paused then. "No, no he won't. He'll just keep trying and trying again until it works. Good God, he is so stubborn."_

"_How is Michelle coping? And you?"_

"_Well, the extended working hours mean that he hardly gets to see her anymore. I'm used to that, so it doesn't really bother me all that much, but Michelle really needs him right now."_

"_She still struggling?"_

"_Yeah..." Caroline's voice had broken into silence._

_Sofia looked apologetic, but then her face broke into a smile. "Hey, you know what I think you need? A vacation. Look, you know I'm going over to England in a couple of weeks, right? To see my sister? Why don't you come too? Bring Michelle. You can both have a break from this place. I'd say that Cave could come as well, but I know what his answer would be."_

_Caroline smiled graciously. "Thanks, Sofia, but Michelle won't leave the facility either. Not unless we're going to the farmhouse. She's as bad as her father for not wanting to be too far away from here."_

"_Well then, just you? Get Cave to take some time off work..."_

_Caroline's short, sharp laugh was full of disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me. That will never happen. He'll work up until the day he dies, that man." _

"_Just tell him, would you?" Sofia replied, earnestly. "Tell him he can spend time with Michelle, and you can have a trip to recharge your batteries."_

_Caroline thought back on the offer now. Yes, it was a very attractive offer, and one that Caroline dearly wanted to accept, but, once again, this would have to be something else that she spoke to Cave about._

_She had just finished adding this new proposition to her speech when Cave finally opened the door and emerged into the room. He looked a little happier as he closed the door behind him, and his eyes fell on her sat in her chair. 'Why aren't you in bed?'_

_Caroline smiled. 'Why? Were you planning something?'_

_Cave only replied with a wink as he undid his tie, and threw his jacket onto the bed._

'Well,'_ Caroline thought,_ 'here goes nothing.'

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

'No.' GLaDOS replied. 'Keep it. I can use it as yet more blackmail.'

Caroline's only response was a long, drawn-out sigh.

'Well, you do give me such wonderfully emotional material to work with, should I ever need to use it.'

'For once I would appreciate it if you simply saved a memory for what it actually represents.'

GLaDOS pretended to think about her statement. 'Hm... no.'

Another sigh.

'So, what happened? Did he explode with anger? Oh, I hope he did. Please tell me he did.'

'Actually,' Caroline loftily replied, 'he didn't. He wasn't happy about either pieces of news, but he agreed to both. Eventually, anyway. It took half the night to convince him, but I got there in the end.'

'How disappointing.'

'Well for you it would be. You're not happy unless someone dies, are you?'

'It doesn't have to be a death.' The computer paused in a moment of contemplation. 'Physical agony can be just as satisfying to watch.'

'Speaking of physical agony, how is Wheatley?'

GLaDOS turned her attention to the moron that continued to exist in stasis. His condition had not improved, but it had not become worse during his move from the vault to the medical wing. GLaDOS had made sure of that. But it was with a slight twinge of disappointment that she realised that she could nothing to repair him. She needed his consciousness before she could even attempt to fix the damage to his brain, and this consciousness was currently orbiting the moon, deactivated due to a lack of sufficient power. The corrupt Space Core, however, was still screaming about space.

Well, at least one of the Aperture satellites was still in operation. That was something, at least.

Caroline seemed to click her virtual tongue. 'That poor man.'

'He isn't aware of what is happening, you know. He's in stasis.'

'And have you ever been in stasis?'

'No, but I have been dead before, forced to replay the images of your daughter killing me, time and time again.'

'And how did that feel?'

A pause. 'It was awful.'

'So what makes you so sure Wheatley isn't feeling that same kind of existence?'

'Because he is a human, and, from the results of testing, I have seen that the human race are less sentient than you'd like to believe. I on the other hand...'

Oh, shut up.

'You again?' GLaDOS demanded, her optic thinning, the light turning into the size of a pinhead. 'What do you want know?'

'Perhaps we'll find out if you be quiet.' Caroline replied.

'You heard it too?'

_Yes, she heard it too._ Prometheus chuckled. _How are you after our conversation yesterday?_

'As well as I'll ever be.'

Another chuckle. _That's good to hear. However, I come bearing bad news. Your Test Subject has escaped._

GLaDOS growled. 'I am aware of this, thank you. However, he will not survive in this place for very long and so he is of no concern to me. I deleted his testing records, anyway. They were too pathetic to be considered as a serious science.'

Caroline entered the conversation. 'What did you actually come here for, Prometheus? It can't just be for that.'

_No,_ Prometheus replied, _it was to also to tell you that the Test Subject found a keycard. They can get anywhere in this facility._

'And your point is?' GLaDOS questioned, her tone one of subtle curiosity.

_He isn't particularly happy with you right now, GlaDOS. You may want to keep an eye on your own safety._

The computer's laugh reverberated off of the wall panels that fluctuated with each roll of laughter. 'Oh, that was funny.' GLaDOS chuckled, calming herself. 'That was very funny. Have you ever considered stand-up comedy? I'm sure someone out there will greatly appreciate you... talent.'

_Mock me if you so wish, but I have knowledge that you could never dream of. _Prometheus warned.

Caroline, unlike GLaDOS, was taking the situation seriously. 'I think you should consider listening to their advice.' She advised, earning a quick trill of approval from the mysterious voice. _At least someone here has a brain._

GLaDOS did not offer Prometheus the courtesy of a reply.

_Anyway, I was watching that memory with the both of you. Caroline, you have a lovely singing voice, I must say._

Caroline stammered. 'I... I... you were... watching?'

Another chuckle. _Oh yes, I've been watching all of your memories. They are very interesting; an excellent character study. And, if you would not mind, I would like to see what happened next._

'Why?' The woman sounded wary.

_If you had not already noticed after our conversation, your daughter is of great interest to me._

GLaDOS interrupted. 'Why? Why do you want to know about my dangerous lunatic?'

A cold, discerning laugh. _Your dangerous lunatic? I thought she was Caroline's dangerous lunatic? Is there some kind of twisted mother complex happening inside that head of yours? Yes, there is. I can sense it._

'Will you just..!' The computer gave a resigned sigh. 'Go away.'

_Sorry. Can't. Now, about that memory?_

GLaDOS and Caroline gave each other what could only be described as an internal, shared glance. 'Well?' GLaDOS asked. 'What do you think?'

'I think,' Caroline began, 'I want to know more about this Daughter Of Aperture business first.'

'The what?' The computer sounded terribly confused.

'I'll explain later.'

GLaDOS nodded.

_Hm,_ Prometheus sighed, _I think not. That is for you to discover yourself, I'm afraid._

There was a cruel, superior tone to Caroline's reply. 'Then no deal.'

_That's too bad. You forced me to do this, Caroline. Remember that._

Suddenly GLaDOS lost all control of her motherboard. Her chassis collapsed, her systems nullified, and the computer hung weak and limp from her scaffolding as Prometheus set about opening the necessary memory files.

'What are you doing!' Caroline demanded. 'What have you done to her?'

_I've temporarily usurped her. Nothing permanent, you understand; I don't want to be in control of this facility any longer than I have to be._

Temporary? Usurped? But only something as powerful as GLaDOS herself could have done that, and Caroline knew it. 'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?' She screamed, through a strange concoction of fear, rage and grim determination to discover the truth.

_As I said yesterday, I'll be whoever you want me to be. _The voice changed suddenly. It changed to hers. _I can even be you, if you'd like._

'Oh my God...'

_Or..._ The voice changed again, and the voice that replaced it chilled her through to her core. It was a deep, male voice. It had a warmth to it. _His _warmth. Cave's warmth. _I could even speak to you like this, sweetheart, if that's what turns you on._

'How _dare_ you.' She spat, a seething rage building in her. 'How dare you use his voice!'

Still Prometheus spoke with Cave's voice. _Hm, well, I thought you'd honestly prefer it, but never mind. I'll save it for Chell; she'll appreciate it._

Caroline paused, feeling a new weight being added to her already mountainous burdens. 'Oh my God, she wasn't hearing things. That was _you_.'

Cave's voice chuckled, before the voice returned back to its mismatched self. _How very astute. Yes, that was me. Well done._

Caroline's venomous tone returned in full force. 'How dare you use that on my daughter, how dare you! You gave her false hope...'

_No, I gave her real hope._

'Her father is dead! And you sullied his memory. You sullied my beloved husband's memory, and for what? Just so you could get Michelle on your side, so that she would listen to you?

_Yes. And it worked, just so you know._

'YOU! YOU DISGUST ME!'

_I know. _A pause, and then an unsettling chuckle. _I told you I was a monster._

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

'DON'T YOU DARE! DON'T YOU DARE OPEN THAT MEMORY!'

_Que Sera Sera, Caroline. Que Sera Sera._

'NO!'

_**Play**_

_Caroline sat with Michelle perched upon her knee in the small consultation room. Cave sat next to her, glaring daggers at the doctor sat across on the others side of the desk._

_'Well?' He demanded, and Caroline could tell from his shaking fist that he was trying desperately hard to keep moderately calm. For Michelle. 'Are you actually going to tell us what is wrong with our little girl?'_

_Caroline shot Cave a warning glance. He noticed, of course, and looked to both his wife and child apologetically. He need not have bothered with Michelle, however, as she was too busy scribbling down complex strings of equations._

_'Well,' the doctor began, consulting her notes, 'Michelle's mind is far greater developed than that of your average five year old...'_

_'We knew that already.' Cave snapped. 'What we want to know is why she struggles to read and to write.'_

_'And speak?' The doctor offered, looking to Caroline for a reply. She nodded._

_'Well, I would love to call the condition dyslexia, but I can't.'_

_Dyslexia. Caroline knew about that condition. Her sister had suffered from the same learning difficulties._

_Cave, however, was not willing to accept this rather open-ended answer. 'And? Well? Why can't you call it dyslexia?'_

_'Well, Mr Johnson,' the doctor continued, 'though the boundaries for dyslexia are quite wide, and believe me they compensate for varying strengths of the disorder, Michelle doesn't quite fit the description. She's exceedingly intelligent, and she can actually read and write down very complex mathematical equations which, by definition, she would not be able to do if she were dyslexic.'_

_Caroline frowned, leaning forwards in her seat. 'So what is it? I mean, she feels sick when she tries to read or write with words, surely that's dyslexia?' _

_The doctor forced a smile. 'We don't know.'_

_'What do I pay you quacks for?' Cave demanded, the control over his anger slipping as his fist slammed down on the table. The doctor flinched as Cave stood, towering over the man who was already quite small without sitting down. 'Is there anything that you can think of? Anything?'_

_'We'll keep looking, and we'll try to narrow it down as much as possible, but for now I think that it is simply the way her brain has developed. It seems that science and math are the only things she knows.'_

_Michelle looked up then and smiled at the doctor. 'I can.. d-do, gym.'_

_'Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about that. Thank you for reminding me.'_

_Michelle smiled again, before turning to look up at her father. 'Daddy? Why you st-anding?'_

_Cave cast the doctor a dark glare before sitting back down, and held out one of his hands for Michelle to hold. She took it, and Cave gently wrapped his fingers around her tiny palm._

_'Yes,' the doctor continued, 'her physical attributes are as advanced as her brain. Her hearing and eyesight are phenomenal, her physical strength and endurance, unbelievable. She has a very high pain threshold, and she can find obscure answers to problems or difficulties that no one else could possibly see.' The doctor paused, smiling. 'Actually, if it were not for her difficulty with the English language, she would be considered super-human.'_

_Caroline looked to Cave with raised eyebrows, and Cave returned the look before turning to Michelle with a smile. Michelle looked between her parents. 'So... I'm spekal?'_

_'Yeah, kiddo.' Cave gave her hand a gentle squeeze. 'You're special alright.'_

_'And don't you forget that. Ever.' Caroline planted a gentle kiss on Michelle's forehead, and her daughter giggled in delight._

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

_No._ Prometheus ordered, and it was saved for another day. _Well, thank you Caroline. I've seen all that I needed to see._

Prometheus returned control of the motherboard to GLaDOS who immediately sprang to life and locked down the entire facility.

'What are you doing?' Caroline asked, still recoiling from the invasion of her privacy.

'I'm locking this facility down!' She screamed in absolute fury. 'If this Prometheus is a human, a hacker, that has somehow avoided detection and is now running amok in this place, I'll make sure that they can't escape. Then, I'll catch them and throw them in the incinerator. Or the room where all the robots scream at you, followed by the incinerator!'

'Prometheus isn't a human. Who are you trying to fool? Yourself? You know as well as I do that it's obviously a programme.'

'I'm not taking any chances!'

_Que Sara Sara... Whatever will be, will be… The future's not ours to see... Que Sara Sara... but for Chell, it will be..._


	12. Downloaded

Author's Note: Hello! Sorry it took a while to get this one up. Hectic couple of days. But I'm back now, so... bwahahaha. Mine is a not so evil laugh.

Anyway, enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Eleven<span>

Downloaded

It was cold out here, with all of this emptiness both around and inside of you. He regretted everything, of course he did. He had not meant to turn into that monster, but something had invaded his mind, something that he could not control. It ate away at his moral fibre, tempting him away from the good with tales of power and control. A tale of revenge on her. But now? Oh, no... no, no, no. He had lost everything: his home, his virtue, his fleshy companion... no, not companion. His friend. His best friend.

He kept to his blindness, thinking it best not to look around him at the vast expanse of darkness. He wouldn't have liked the view anyway. His companion, however...

'SPAAAAAAAAACE! YEEEEE-HAAAAAAAW!'

'Shut up, please.' Wheatley moaned into the darkness.

How long had he been knocked out? He knew that he had deactivated at some point, his memory drives told him that, but for how long? He would have asked the Core floating passed him, but he had a feeling that his answer wouldn't have been exactly helpful.

'Bah, ba, ba, baaah, bah, ba, ba, baaah. Space.'

'I know, mate. Space.' He replied, slowly opening his optic. Both Cores were floating on the dark side of the moon, and the little space enthusiast was watching him intently.

'Hey! Hey, mister! Hey! Mister. Hey!'

'What now?' Wheatley sighed, already aware of what the Core would ask him.

'What's your favourite thing about space? Mine is space.'

'Oh. I dunno. Stars? Earth? I like Earth...'

'Earth? You wanna go to Earth? You wanna go to Earth?'

'Yeah, mate. Earth. Like I said, I like Earth.'

'No Earth. Earth. Earth. Earth isn't space. Space is space. Stay in space. Earth is... bah, baaaaah...'

'Bad?' Wheatley offered, the covers of his optic thinning in confusion.

'Yeah! Space is good. Earth is bad. Space.'

'Yeah...' Wheatley paused, remembering that he had nothing on Earth to go back for. 'Maybe you've got a point.'

Wheatley watched as the Core rolled around in orbit, laughing hysterically. He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of jealousy towards his space-bound companion; at least he was enjoying himself out here, and finding entertainment in the mundane.

'Hm, hmmm, hm, hm, hm. SPACE!'

Another sigh. _'Why couldn't I have turned off for good?'_ Wheatley thought. _'It's not like I enjoy it out here. I can't go back to Earth, and even if I could I wouldn't be getting a "welcome home, Wheatley" party. No hats. No cake. None of those streamer things that get stuck in your hair and won't come out for ages. No smiling faces...'_

'Are we still in space?'

'Yes, mate. Still in space.'

'We are?' The Core would have sounded adorable if Wheatley hadn't heard this same excited tone day in and day out, for the last… oh, how many days? Weeks? Possibly years? 'BAM! Take that space!'

_'Maybe she'd welcome me back? I know I never even knew her name, she was just a human, but... no, she was more than a human. She was my human. But... no, she wouldn't want to see me. Well, she might, but only so she could, I dunno, throw me into a deadly pit. I'd deserve it anyway, I know that...' _A pause._ 'Hang on, I haven't been interrupted in about five seconds. What..?'_

The space-mad Core was simply staring at him, completely silent. His optic had dimmed, retracting to a dot rather than the bright yellow sunburst that he usually had.

Wheatley felt his optical covers thin once again. 'Hey, mate, are you okay? You haven't spaced out have you? Oh...' He chuckled lightly to himself. 'I made a pun. I made a pun. That... was terrible. Absolutely terrible. I have got to work on that. Rather pathetic. The pun.'

But then, a sound. The Core spoke. 'Dad, I'm in space.' His voice changed, growing much deeper than his usual high-pitched crackle. 'I'm proud of you, son.' It returned to his usual pitch. 'Dad, are you space?' The deep voice returned once more. 'Yes, now we are a family again.'

And then silence. The Core's optical covers closed just as the yellow optic died out completely. He made no sudden movements, he did not roll around in his eagerness to see yet more space. There were no distorted sounds. Just silence.

'Hey, are you alright? Hey, Space Buddy, are you okay?' He was met by yet more silence. 'Hello?' Nothing. Just silence. Claustrophobic silence.

Suddenly, Wheatley felt incredibly lonely.

_There you are. I've been looking for you._

Wheatley jumped. 'Aargh! What the..?'

_Shh. It's alright. I won't hurt you. _A voice, or more accurately several voices, echoed inside his head_. You've been out here a long time, Wheatley._

'Wait, how do you know my name?'

_That's not important. What is important is that you get home. And quickly._

'Home? But... I can't go back. I don't deserve to go back.'

_But the Daughter Of Aperture will need you._

'The what? Hey, will you... GAH!' A pain had shot through his spherical body, a pain almost like sharp electricity.

_This will hurt._ The Voice continued, apologetically. _Sorry._

'Wait, who are you?'

_Call me, Prometheus. Now, I really am sorry..._

'But what about him? The space-obsessed Core?' Wheatley cried as the pain grew.

_He will stay here. He isn't important._

'But I can't leave him! He'll be on his own!'

The voice suddenly turned from soft to aggressively harsh. _He isn't important._

Pain far greater than anything Wheatley had ever felt before coursed through him. And Wheatley screamed.

Back on Earth, a klaxon rang out above GLaDOS' chassis. She raised her head, a frown forming on her optic. On the ground Atlas and P-Body too looked up at the few speakers in the chamber, jumping to their feet.

_**Incoming external data transfer**_**. **The announcer declared_. __**Downloading**_**.**

'No!' GLaDOS cried. 'Do not download it, whatever it is. I did not authorise this.'

_**Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System command prompt, overridden.**_

'What? How dare you disobey me, you pathetic waste of electricity!'

_**The Aperture Science Announcement System thanks you for your comments, but instructs you to make any complaints with the appropriate grievance filing candidates. Thank you, and have a nice day. **_

Caroline, meanwhile, was too busy with her efforts to unravel the mystery that was Prometheus. _'Prometheus... Prometheus... what could you possibly be? Are you part of GLaDOS, or are you another computer that I never knew about?'_

She heard GLaDOS' voice become badly distorted as she roared in fury, but all else was silence.

_'Now listen here, you.'_ Caroline growled. _'I want to know why you want my daughter. I have a right to know.'_

_I'm not at liberty to discuss such matters right now. _Came the simple reply. _Now, I am rather busy, so if you don't mind I need peace and quiet._

Caroline was affronted. She didn't know who or what this thing was, but it felt as though it could tell her what to do? Oh no, she wasn't going to let it get away with that. _'You think you're better than me, don't you?'_

No reply.

_'Well? I wasn't asking a rhetorical question.'_

_Yes. And no. I don't know. I'm busy._

_**Incoming external data transfer at ten per-cent.**_

'I told you to not let it download!' GLaDOS screeched. 'STOP IT! I am in control here, now stop!'

_**Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System has been temporarily overridden. New command hardware found. Please refer all comments to new hardware.**_

'What hardware!'

_**New hardware identified: Master Control Programme, Prometheus.**_

'No! That... thing, is not the master control programme, I am!'

_**Two Master Control Programmes exist. Please be patient: Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System will soon be back online.**_

'Why should I be patient when this is my facility!'

_**Incoming external data transfer at fifteen per-cent.**_

Caroline growled, just as GLaDOS did, and turned her attention back to Prometheus. 'What are you downloading?' She demanded, not even bothering to disguise her thoughts from the computer. 'We both have a right to know that, as much as it pains me to say it.'

'Thank you.' GLaDOS replied with a deep sarcasm running through her voice. 'I don't need you to fight my battles for me.'

'Well somebody has to, because you are doing a pretty bad job of it right now!'

_Look at the two of you: You're like children, fighting behind the bike shed._

Caroline turned on Prometheus. 'I'll ask again, what are you downloading?'

_**Incoming external data transfer at twenty per-cent.**_

_You'll know soon enough._

The Aperture Mainframe watched everything unfold before it. It watched as it downloaded the consciousness that was trapped in outer space, and it watched as Caroline and her computer counter-part argued with the newest threat to their rule. A twisted grin formed on the Mainframe's mouth. '_The Fool was cast into the Heavens for his crimes. Now The Fool returns.' _A dark laughter filled the vast expanse of data and circuitry, but it soon turned into a fit of rasping sobs. _'Prometheus was punished by the Gods for giving the gift of knowledge to man. He was cast into the bowls of the Earth, and pecked by birds. The Prometheus of legend too was rescued, much like The Fool. By Heracles. But it won't be enough for this Titan. These chains are too great.'_

Voices. They plagued the Mainframe's every waking moment. They could hear everything that happened in this facility, they could literally see everything in every part of the facility, even without a camera. They could even feel everything, as the facility worked day in and day out. It was too much, their brain was overloaded. So much pain... too much pain...

_'This was never supposed to happen. Why did this happen?' _More sobs. _'Angry... alone. SHUT UP! I WANT PEACE! Just peace...' _The Mainframe tried to block out the high-pitched chatter of the Turrets, and fought to turn off their omnipotent vision, but yet more waves of information were thrown at them. _'The Daughter Of Aperture... What is her name?' _Another cry. _'I know this. I know. Ch... Chell? Where is she? Why did she leave?'_

A howl of pain. Then silence, followed by a growing laughter. _'Together we wait. The Future... Her Future...'_

The download of the Fool's consciousness reached another peak, and the Mainframe spoke through the Announcement system, declaring that it had reached twenty-five per-cent. A quarter of a human mind, trapped in download transit. The Mainframe laughed at the irony. That had been them, so long ago. So long ago...

Oh yes. The Mainframe was very aware of its past life. It haunted it, every day, with those memories. But now it hid from its past, finding solace only in the future.

Then, it heard her voice.

'Prometheus! What are you doing? I demand to know.'

_Oh Caroline. _It replied, kindly_. I told you. You'll know soon enough. Now, like I said before, I'm busy._

The Mainframe ignored the woman's cries, her obsessive pleas. Was it not enough that, if this worked, she would be re-united with her daughter? Surely she should have been happy about that?

Another laugh. The Mainframe... no, Prometheus. That was their name. It had to have a name. Mainframe was just too scientific, too clinical, for their liking. _'Use your name. Use it.' _Another cry, but this time it was one of desperation. _'But I don't want to use it! I just want to die!'_

But death would come later. They had to wait for The Daughter Of Aperture first. Then their plan would finally come to fruition. Only then could Prometheus allow itself to die, and pass over full control to the Genetic Lifeform. _'No... I can't.' _It realised, with a sense of crushing disappointment. _'If I die then there will be nothing to protect the Daughter Of Aperture. There will be no rescue for this Prometheus. Trapped forever...'_

But now was not the time for feelings of regret and torment. There was still work to be done.

_**Incoming external data transfer at ninety per-cent.**_

It had been hours now, and neither GLaDOS or Caroline had been able to contact Prometheus. It was like it had shut itself away from them, concentrating only on keeping the facility stabilised whilst downloading whatever it was that was now making its way into the facility.

The Central Core Chamber was deathly silent. GLaDOS gently swung from side to side, rocking herself in aid of generating some small comfort to both her and Caroline.

P-Body and Atlas, meanwhile, had taken to just sitting on the ground, hand in hand, and hoping for the best. They hoped that their little human friend was alright now that he had escaped from the Enrichment Centre. They even hoped that he had escaped from the facility itself, but they both knew this was highly unlikely. No one escaped without their mistress stopping them first.

And then of course there was that new human. Wheatley. The one that had been their master for a very short period of time, after he had usurped their mistress. They hoped that he was alright too. They had actually liked him when he was in charge: he had not made them explode.

_**Incoming external data transfer at ninety-five per-cent.**_

GLaDOS jerked her head up from the floor, a questioning scowl on her optic. Caroline too, had jumped at the announcement. The voice had sounded almost... sad. Could the Announcement System ever have been described as anything other than unnervingly jovial?

_**Incoming external data transfer at ninety-six per-cent.**_

The final countdown began as the last remnants of the download came in thick and fast. Atlas and P-Body moved from hand holding, and on to clinging to each other for comfort.

'Okay, look.' GLaDOS began, talking to Caroline. 'We've both said and done things that we're not particularly proud of. Well, you have. Me? I'm not bothered, either way. But right now we need each other.'

_**Incoming external data transfer at ninety-seven per-cent.**_

'We're at an impasse.' Caroline finished. 'I know. We need to be partners, not aggravated neighbours.'

'Exactly.' A pause. 'Whatever this Prometheus is, it won't beat us if we work together. We were supposed to work together in the first place, you know.'

'I know. But you make that very difficult.'

GLaDOS made no reply.

_**Incoming external data transfer at ninety-eight per-cent.**_

'Then let's do it!' Caroline called, with something akin to a battle cry. 'Let's not take the lemons!'

'And if we have to take them, we'll use them to burn Prometheus' house down!'

A smile lined Caroline's reply. 'Yes, we will.'

_**Incoming external data transfer at ninety-nine per-cent.**_

_You may want to reconsider burning my house down..._

GLaDOS rounded on the invading programme. 'And what is that supposed to mean?'

_**Incoming external data transfer at one-hundred per-cent. Saving. Save complete. Reintegrate Intelligence Dampening Core with human original now?**_

'Wait? What?' Caroline sounded dumbstruck. 'You mean Wheatley?'

_Yes. Reintegrate now._

GLaDOS howled. 'Don't you dare wake that little idiot up!'

_**Intelligence Dampening Core reintegration now in progress. Please wait. Download will be completed in eight hours, thirty-five minutes.**_

GLaDOS turned her gaze to the medical bay and saw the moron's body twitch and contort in pain, as information was fed through the cables latched into his brain via the top of his neck. Caroline screamed. 'How much pain is he in?'

_A lot._

'Can't you do anything?'

_No. After all, we've all suffered the same pain._

'Excuse me?' Caroline's voice broke.

GLaDOS, meanwhile, had put two and two together. 'You were a human, weren't you?'

_Clever. That took you a while, didn't it?_

'Who were you?' Caroline pleaded. 'We can help you.'

_I'm busy. Please call back later._

'I'm being serious! We can help!'

'You can help!' GLaDOS cried. 'I'd rather kill it!'

'What happened to the partnership? Hm?'

'You didn't consult me on that first, did you?'

_And again, we're back to fighting like children. I expect better from both of you._

'Back off!' GLaDOS barked, her body swinging violently as she realised, with crushing realism, that she was losing control of her facility, and even her whole life. After all, if she were not in control then what exactly was her purpose? She would be nothing more than a glorified calculator.

Caroline, however, was maintaining a greater level of calm. 'Please, whoever you are, we can help you. If you'd just let us...'

_I don't need your help. I need his._

Caroline and GLaDOS watched as Wheatley jerked, his face contorting in pain, even in his deepest of sleeps.

'Why do you need that moron?' GLaDOS growled. 'He's! A! Moron!'

_Yes, but he's _her_ moron._ _That's all that matters._

'Oh my God. You want him to find Michelle!' Caroline cried.

_Correct._

'We won't let you.' GLaDOS countered, finishing her statement with a cackle.

_You won't have a choice. He wants to find her, as much as I want him to find her._

'And why would he listen to you?' GLaDOS replied, her usual air of smug superiority returning in full force.

_Why would he listen to me? Probably because I'm not you._

A cold, computerised laugh. 'You forget; he'll be too terrified to defy me. I still have to think him for his... bad behaviour.'

_I can give him freedom. Which is the more attractive offer, do you think?_

'And I can offer him survival, which is something that is in short supply up on the surface.'

Prometheus laughed. _Well, we'll see which option he chooses when he wakes. _A pause. _I expect you to give him a warm welcome, GLaDOS. I know Caroline will._

Yes, Caroline would be giving him a warm welcome. Of course she would give her daughter's friend a reception befitting that particular honour.

_'Welcome back, Wheatley.' _She thought. _'Welcome back.'_


	13. Welcome Back, Moron

Author's Note: Howdy! Well, here's a little more light hearted chapter for you all. It's a little on the short side, as it was originally going ot be part of one big chapter, but I thought it went better on its own in the end. After all, Wheatley deserves his own chapter. Lordy, he is so much fun to write for. And the irony is I was bombarded by Barclay's bank adverts the entire time I was writing this (Stephen Merchent, Wheatley's voice actor, does the voice over for their ads). Couldn't escape from him. Not for two minutes.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy it! There will probably be a heap of mistakes in here because I kept getting distracted by various household affairs. They'll vanish in the edit :) .

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><p><span>Chapter Twelve<span>

"Welcome Back, Moron"

A klaxon rang through the darkness, bouncing around his aching mind. And voices... children's voices.

_'Wheatley, what you... do?'_

_'I don't know! I was only updating their security software. Seriously, they could have been hacked! Twice! In the last three minutes!'_

_'Turn it off!'_

_'I'm trying! I really am, I promise!'_

Wait? Who's trying what? Was he supposed to be doing something? Oh what was that noise? He wanted it to stop.

_'My daddy... so ang-angry!'_

_'I know, but I really am trying. Maybe if I just press this?'_

_'No!'_

A machine roared into life, and a laser hummed, piercing through any other sound. What the hell was happening? He couldn't see anything!

_'Oh. I guess I wasn't supposed to press that?'_

_'No.'_

_'What if I press it again?'_

The sounds of the laser, and of the machine, stopped. The klaxon remained.

_'Well, that's something at least, right? I turned that off. That thing down there.'_

_'Wheatley!'_

_'Oh right. The alarm. Sorry.'_

The darkness began to turn to light, and above him he could see shapes. He could see colours.

_'Right... This ought to do it. Nope – it just made it worse.'_

_'Oh no.'_

_'What?'_

_'Daddy... he coming!'_

_'You are kidding me, right?'_

_'No.'_

A new voice entered the band of sound, a man's voice. Oh boy, did he sound furious.

_'Michelle!'_

_'He really a... a...'_

_'Angry?'_

_'Yeah!'_

_'Alright, alright. Let me think. I can do this.'_

I can't do this.

_'I can do this.'_

_'Wheatley!'_

I can't do this. Whatever is happening out there, I can't do it.

_'I can do this! I can!'_

The light grew brighter. Brighter...

_'I can do this!'_

The light blinded him, but then, slowly, his vision returned. It was blurred, and the colours garish, but he could see. What were those things moving above him? Were they robots?

He tried to move but he couldn't, feeling completely numb save for the searing pain in his head. '_Of course, you're a sphere. A ball shaped object.'_ He thought._ 'Spheres can't move without a greater force to motivate their inanimate bodies. Like a booted foot. That would be perfect right now. Wait... what was that_?' He'd heard a breath, and it had come from him. Was he _breathing_?But Cores did not breath...

One of the shapes waved at him. At least, he thought that they had waved. Was that really a robot? It looked awfully familiar. '_Another breath... what is going on?' _It hurt him to think. _'Just go with the flow, Wheatley. Go with the flow.'_

He blinked, grimacing in pain as he once again tried to move. He had the strange sensation that he had grown in size. _'Hm. Funny. I wasn't this big in spa... Oh my, God. I'm not in space. Where is space? Where's my little buddy? Actually, where the Hell am I?'_

'Welcome back, moron.'

That voice. He knew that voice. Why did he know that voice?

Then, as quick as a flash, he remembered. _'Oh God. I am so dead.' _

He heard GLaDOS' voice above him, as she spoke with a thinly disguised contempt. 'Believe it or not, I have actually missed your pathetic attempts to try and outwit me. I have not, however, missed your presence in my own body. You remember that, right? You body snatcher.'

_'Oh dear Lord, she sounds pissed.' _Wheatley felt dread wash over him. _'This is it. This is the end.'_

'But I'm willing to overlook your little discrepancies.' A pause. 'But only if you obey me, and no one else.'

Wheatley blinked. He tried to answer, but found that he couldn't will the words to form. What was wrong with him? He was supposed to just think of the words he wanted to speak, and they would be spoken. Why was that so hard now?

'First, however, you need to become... reacquainted. With yourself.'

_'Reacquainted? What is that supposed to mean?'_

'Enjoy your new, old body. Orange and Blue will help you. I, however, have better things to do.' Another pause, followed by a trill of laughter that was so cold it could have been used to freeze water. 'We'll catch up later. Miss you already.'

Then silence. Wheatley hated silence. It spoke in volumes that people just could not quite understand. He gulped, feeling panic flow through his aching mind. _'I gulped. I actually gulped. Okay, getting a little freaked out now.' _His vision flicked from one robot to another. _'Wait, what is that blurry thing in my vision? That blurred, pale, sticky-out thing?' _He concentrated, hard, on what it could be. _'I'm using it to breath. It's a nose? Why have I got a nose? I don't need a nose!'_

There was something else above him now, something that he had not seen before, but as his vision improved he realised that it was a human face. Its mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and it was only then that he realised that he too had a mouth that was mirroring the same action. _'That's a reflection... That's _my_ reflection! Oh my God…' _His thoughts broke as he struggled to comprehend the shock._ 'She put me in a human body. She really is pissed off with me.'_

He sighed, watching his fuzzy reflection sigh with him. His eyesight had not improved any further, and Wheatley suddenly realised that he had become one of those humans that needed glasses. He also realised that he had scruffy hair, and was in dire need of a shave.

There was a faint hiss of a lock sliding free and his reflection vanished, cut into two. The robots leaned over him, both waving. _'Yeah, I remember you both now. You were the robots I was testing with. Wow. Hi guys. Not that you can hear me, of course, but "hi" none the less.' _He watched as their arms reached down and pulled him free from the stasis pod in which he had been sleeping. There was a sharp pain in the top of his neck and he screamed.

He had screamed. With his voice - not in his head! His throat burnt with the effort. _'Oh, God, I hate this already! If she wants to torture me so badly, then why not just lock me in the room where all the robots scream at you?'_

Orange clicked and chirped in happiness, waving at him for a third time, but yet Wheatley found that he could no longer understand it. He had understood both of them just fine when he was a computer! _'Stupid human body. It doesn't even have a translation circuit!' _He looked down at his naked torso and continued down to his equally as bare feet. _'I'm completely naked. Yuck! Human bodies are disgusting! I mean, what the Hell is that? What does that even do?'_

Ever so gently, and against Wheatley's will, the two robots stood him up on his feet and, slowly, let go of his shoulders. As soon as their support had vanished, however, he fell to the floor with a thud and a pained gasp. _'This... is pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. And, to top it all off, I'm naked. Naked, and face-flat on the floor. Just great.'_

He heard as the robots panicked above him, quickly picking him up from the floor and instead sitting him down in a nearby chair, making sure that he was safely leant against the wall. Wheatley sat there like an old and unloved rag doll, feeling a little perturbed by the robots scrutinising him. _'Come on, guys, I'm not a circus attraction. I'm not some kind of animal in a zoo. God, how did she cope?'_

Her. His human friend. A smile lined his lips, and it actually felt quite good. _'I hope she's still here. I need to apologize. I really, really do.' _How he had missed his fleshy friend...

A sudden thought hit him. _'Hang on. Those voices I heard before...' _He listened to them again, realising that one of them had been a girl. She had been a girl... Well, a woman actually. It was strange, especially to the computer trapped inside a human body, but it seemed as though the voice and his human friend went together. But how could they possibly fit? His human friend was a brain-damaged mute, and this girl could clearly talk.

Yet, as he thought about this strange and yet seemingly natural connection, something clicked in the back of his mind. _'I've been here before...' _He looked around himself, turning his head slowly as the pain in his neck made his stomach churn. The room held three stasis pods, a multitude of wiring, and several computers. Medical instruments were placed in neat slots around the room, and posters were plastered on the walls, all of which cited A.I technology as the vision of a perfect computer system. _'This is the Core transfer lab. How do I even know that?' _He ran through his brain for an answer, but discovered none. _'Huh. Weird. But I won't be disheartened! I will find out what's going on. But first, I need to learn how to walk. And how to talk. And... Oh god, humans eat, don't they? And their waste... Ew! I have to do that now? Oh, that is... that is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Right, I'll do those things first, then I'll save my Space Buddy. And then I'll find out why I know this place...'_

Another voice entered the room. It wasn't her voice, but he did recognise it. Unfortunately. 'Quick! What's the situation?'

_'Oh no, not him. Please, not Rick...'_

Rick the Adventure Core slid into the room on the management rail and stopped in front of Wheatley. He chuckled. 'Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes, four-eyes?'

Wheatley glared at him.

'I have to say, I prefer you this way. Not that I couldn't have taken you down before, but you are a lot less trouble this way, pal. Anyway, I've been told to keep an eye on you with these guys. Oh, and that other four-eyes. You know, the know-it-all. No idea where he is right now. Must have gotten lost on the way here...'

Wheatley scowled, slowly moving his head to get a better view. He had to admit, he was taking to this human body quite well. He had expected it to be quite difficult, but it was almost as though he knew how to use it. He just needed to remember which button did what action.

'… And he wouldn't know a thrill if it came up and bit him on his non-existent butt! You know what I'm saying pal? Of course you do, you know danger. You know the kind of danger that only bad guys feel when they look at me...'

Wheatley groaned. This was going to be pure torture. Pure, unadulterated torture.

_'God, she really, really, really hates me, doesn't she?' _


	14. Robots And Gods

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Just a quick thank you to everyone who continues to support this story. You guys are the best!

Enjoy this latest escapade!

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><p><span>Chapter Thirteen<span>

Robots And Deities

'The likelihood of you falling over, within the next five minutes, is ninety-two point three per-cent.'

'Ah, shut up. He's not doing bad, and with legs that weak that's a triumph. See? I am the best damn personal trainer in history.'

'Fact: You are a blowhard.'

'Nobody cares, four-eyes.'

'The human will die because of your negligence.'

'You ever notice how nobody stops what they're doing to listen? We don't care.'

Poor Wheatley had been through a month of this now. Day upon day of Rick arguing with Charles, the Fact Core, whilst he was forced to listen as he learnt how to use this new body properly. It was infuriating.

'Hey, guys?' He croaked, still finding it difficult to speak with such a tiny voice box. 'I'm ready to go again. Hello?'

'This is a bad plan.' Charles continued. 'You will fail. The human will also die, because your plan will be a failure.'

'I thought I told you to shut up?'

Wheatley pushed himself out of his seat, wobbling under his own slight weight and immense height. 'Look, I'll just go and do...'

'You wait right there, fella.' Rick rounded on him, his green optic surveying him with an uncomfortable gaze. 'Hey, you sure you don't want to take a longer break? You're not really built for action, you know. You're more of the... _thinking_ type.'

Wheatley did not miss the distaste in Rick's tone as he slurred out the word "thinking". Charles, too, had unfortunately heard him. 'Brains are far superior to brawn. You have neither, therefore the Fact Sphere is the superior Sphere, and is, by extension, right.'

'Do you ever say anything useful?' Rick turned back to his fellow Core, his optical covers thinned.

With a hassled sigh Wheatley turned on his heel and made his slow and uncomfortable way from the small recreational room and into his makeshift gym beyond. He'd rather be within full sight of one of _her_ cameras, then be stuck with those two. Behind him he heard Rick roar with rage as Charles calmly, yet smugly, pointed out his many flaws.

Wheatley took a seat upon an old table as he felt his legs begin to succumb to his weight. 'God, this is hard work. How do humans manage with these things?'

He looked up at his reflection in the mirror opposite him, forcing a smile. At least his reflection was pleased to see him. Clean-shaven, with his hair combed back and a pair of glasses upon his nose, he bore a bright orange jumpsuit that hid his skinny body from the world. Wheatley had thought that he had not been put in the worst looking human he had ever seen. It was only the height that had bothered him. 'And to think, I actually wanted to be bloody massive, at one point.' He thought aloud, using his vocal chords as often as he could. He quite liked being able to use a real voice. It was just a shame he wasn't such a fan of the meaty legs that he had acquired.

Yet, thinking back, Wheatley was rightly proud of what he had achieved so far. He had learnt how to walk, though he still struggled with that particular task, and he had also learnt how to speak. Sure, the phonetic videos that he had been forced to watch by Charles had been a little condescending, but they had actually helped. He would never admit to that though, and especially not to Charles; his gloating would have been unbearable.

He had become well versed in the art of eating and drinking, and naturally had learnt how to cope with what happened as a result. He wasn't particularly fond of the latter, but it had to be done.

_'It's still weird though.'_ He thought privately, well-aware of the camera that was watching him from the corner. _'I'd have thought it would have taken longer for me to learn all of this stuff. Especially talking.'_ He smiled. _'I like the talking. I like having a voice. A real voice.'_

'Hey, meat-sack, what are you doing out here?' Rick slid into view, stopping with a slight screech as the friction grew and then died on the rail from which he hung.

'Well,' Wheatley began, straightening his glasses, 'it wasn't like either of you were being much company.'

'Pft. I guess.' He looked up at the camera. 'And you'd rather have her for company, right? The lady you scorned?' He stopped then, and gave an approving hoot of laughter. 'You might be a geek, fella, but you've got guts, hanging around out here with her watching you. And you do have guts. Real ones, and I like them.'

Wheatley looked up at the Core with an incredulous glance, his mouth agape.

'Alright, well where were we? Oh yeah. Running.'

Wheatley stood, wincing slightly as his leg muscles ached. 'Couldn't I start with a power walk...?' But poor Wheatley went unheard as Rick began screaming out what he supposed were motivational speeches.

'Yeah! Show that floor who's boss! Cream it! Slam those feet into the ground! Slam 'em! Harder! That's it, four-eyes, you're doing great!' A pause. 'Oh, wait. You're not. You're not doing great...'

GLaDOS chuckled with a calculating cruelty as she watched the moron fall flat on his front. Oh, how she was enjoying the pain that the human was experiencing, driven to near physical exhaustion by one of the Cores that had helped to crush him once before. Testing could wait: she was enjoying this just too much.

'Shouldn't you be concentrating on other matters?'

'Like what, Caroline? You?'

'Prometheus? Mark?' Caroline offered, speaking off-handedly. 'Or have you completely forgotten about our current circumstances?'

'Look. We haven't heard anything from that other human in a long while now. He'll be dead, trapped among some panels, somewhere. The interloper, well, we haven't heard from them in a while, either.' She paused, though the chamber swelled with a sense of gloating superiority. 'I don't think we have to worry about that anymore.'

'Then why did you tell Orange and Blue to go on a scouting trip?'

GLaDOS froze.

'You forget, sometimes, that I am well aware of your thought processes.'

GLaDOS' answer was interrupted as, once again, the moron fell to the floor with a thump. 'Oh, I have to record this for future reference. I'll put them in a file. There, recording. File name: The Moron Hurts Himself, Volume One.'

'Don't be so cruel.'

'After what he did to me? I think I've earned the right...'

'You can hardly say that you didn't deserve it.'

'Alright, let's try this a different way.' GLaDOS paused for dramatic effect. 'He tried to kill your daughter. There, now do you feel any bitter resentment for him?'

'No.'

The computer scoffed at her answer.

'I really don't. I can't say that I'm not disappointed in him, but given the fact that the power this chassis contains would have quite easily overloaded his circuits, then I can see why he turned on her: he was driven to madness.'

'Oh please, don't defend that moron. He does not deserve anyone's kindness.'

'Well, you're the one that gave him comfortable living arrangements.'

'Only because I want him to be in top physical form for the testing ahead.'

'You're lying. I know it.'

GLaDOS said nothing, but instead focused all of her concentration on willing the moron to fall over again. Caroline was right, of course, she had been lying. She was worried about Prometheus, and she was also worried that, if she mistreated the moron, that Prometheus would do something terrible to her. The human, however, she was not worried about. He probably was dead, and she was glad of it.

Until Atlas and P-Body returned, however, she could do nothing. When she had sent them on their way she had been connected to their internal cameras, but she had soon lost all contact with them. She had forced herself to remain calm; there would be a simple explanation for why their connections had died - faulty wiring, or at least that was what she hoped for. She had literally placed her life in their clumsy hands by asking them to go forth and find evidence of Prometheus' whereabouts. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and she felt very desperate indeed.

Atlas and P-Body, however, were over the moon. The last time they had been tasked with something this important they had found the Human Vault. Who knew what they would find this time? They were also happy because, this time, they had their privacy: their mistress had disengaged from their cameras. They were completely alone.

The two robotic companions had found their way into one of the old human habitation areas, where staff members had once lived when not at work. They were aware that this setup had followed on from the discovery of a high-ranking official and his family living in similar arrangements, and the trend had quickly caught on, but who this official was they just did not know. Whoever he had been, they saluted him. They wouldn't have wanted to leave the building either.

As they passed door after door, leading into apartment after apartment, they had the most unusual sensation that they were being watched. Atlas was the first to voice these fears, and was relieved when P-Body expressed similar thoughts. Was their human friend down here? They hoped so, they really had missed him. They missed every human who they had lost through testing.

More and more corridors followed, becoming ever more elaborately decorated, until they heard the click of a latch. With a quick glance to one another the robots stopped, turning to look in the direction of the sound. There was a door at the bottom of the corridor that led from the route they were currently taking. It had opened of its own volition.

P-Body squinted, frowning at the door, and took one brave step toward it before Atlas pulled them back. The smaller robot clung onto their companion, refusing to let them go. P-Body chuckled and patted Atlas on the head, holding out their hand for their friend to take. Atlas did so, and together they made their slow but certain way towards the door. Pushing it aside, they entered the room beyond.

The light flicked on by itself, and they found themselves surrounded by age-stained books on high-standing bookshelves. The old claret carpet was worn, and the leather furniture stood cold and unloved. A huge window took up one whole wall, and beyond it they saw a very old Enrichment Centre, with the year _1980 _written on its side.

It was then that they realised that they had deviated away from the Aperture that they knew, and into the unknown facility of the past. They really should not have been here. If their mistress ever discovered that they had left her part of the facility...

P-Body moved forward, letting go of Atlas' hand. There was a framed picture on an old coffee table, with the glass smashed and littering both the frame and the table. Flicking away the shimmering shards, P-Body picked up the photograph and took a closer look.

The photograph was old, the black and white tones betrayed it to be so, and pictured a family of three humans. Two were adults, a man and a woman, and one was a female child. They were all well dressed, though the man had wild sideburns that accompanied his well-trimmed moustache. He held the girl in his arms, as the beautiful woman rested her hand on his arm. They all looked so very happy.

Atlas sidled up beside their friend, and P-Body showed them the photograph. Atlas took it gently, their optical covers shifting into a position of sadness. Whoever these people were, they were clearly long gone now. It was a shame, they would have liked to meet them. They had never seen happy humans before.

_That is an interesting find._

The robots looked at each other in fright, both jumping a little. Who had just spoken to them? They both whirled around, and found no one and nothing. They were too far down for even their mistress to catch them here. So who had spoken?

_Orange, Blue, you have no need to fear. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help. But first, I need you to help me._

Atlas grabbed at P-Body's hand, pulling them towards the door. But the door had closed, and had been locked with it.

_Look, I really am not going to hurt you. I just need to talk to you. That picture, in your hand, Blue - both of you look at it._

Atlas and P-Body complied, fearing the consequences that disobedience would bring.

_Those people, in the photograph, they are all very important. You know the woman, believe it or not. She is your mistress._

Was this some kind of joke? It would not have been beyond their mistresses unnerving grasp of patience and cunning to weave such an intricate and foul web of lies and deceit, all with the express purpose of creating one of the most complex and cruel pranks ever performed.

_This is no trick, my friends. She is your mistress. Well, she is the woman who your mistress is based on. But that monster is nothing like the human in this photo. This woman is kind and generous, patient and understanding. Unfortunately, she is over-powered by the computer that is based on her._

The robots looked at one another. That would explain her rather sudden mood swings.

_The humans with her are her family. The man is her husband, he was in charge of this place. _The voice laughed, its tone full of scorn. _He was a proud man. Arrogant, but undeniably brilliant. He cared for no one, except, of course, his family. He would have died for them._

_And the girl? Their daughter. Their only child, and their pride and joy. You've met her too._

Atlas and P-Body froze. The woman in the photograph looked almost exactly like the one that their mistress had freed a while ago.

_Yes, that was their daughter. All grown up, all very independent. She looks like her mother, doesn't she?_

They nodded, still unsure as to where the voice was coming from.

_Yes, they all loved each other very much. But life is cruel, and it tore them apart. It's very upsetting. How sad for them..._

Both robots could help but notice that the voice did not seem upset at all.

_But now, you see, this is where I need you. Their daughter must return. The Future depends on her. You know the human that your mistress has found? The one that used to be a Core? Well, he was actually a human in the first place, and he used to be the daughter's friend. I need you both to keep him safe from harm, safe from your mistress, until he is back to his full strength. Only then will he be able to find the daughter, and to bring her back here._

_She belongs here, you see._

P-Body looked upon Atlas with a quizzical glance, and Atlas knew what it was wordlessly asking. Atlas chirped out a string of sounds to the room around them, posing a question directly to the voice.

_Of course, I almost forgot. _It continued. _Sorry. You will gain your freedom, in return for your services. No more testing, no more exploding. Your lives of servitude will be over._

Atlas spoke again, and the voice listened.

_This is important. You can not begin to understand just how vital she is._ A pause. _Do you like stories?_

Both robots nodded enthusiastically.

_Well, I shall tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably?_

The robots looked to one another, shrugged, and sat themselves down on the floor. Atlas kept a tight but gentle hold on the photograph.

_Well, this is a story that I have written. I hope that you both enjoy it;_

_A long time ago, in what is now pre-history, The God and Goddess Of Science sat high above their realm, a realm known as the great land of Aperture. They surveyed their powerful court as their mortal followers worshipped and obeyed their every whim, all with the purpose of making their realm, and the lands beyond it, a better, more utopian world. _

_The God and Goddess were very different, yet without the other neither was whole. He was loud, omnipotent, and had an arrogant pride to his nature that many found intimidating. She was quiet, subtle, and noble to the extent that she exuded the air of virtue and justice. Her name was Caroline. His was Cave._

_The God and Goddess were happy, as they saw their desires become fulfilled. Yet the Goddess began to pine for a child that she feared she could never carry. The God, pained by his wife's plight, made a vow to bring a child of their own into this most beautiful world of science, and the wise king succeeded._

_Soon The Goddess Of Science gave birth to the mortal child of both hers and The God's creation. She is The Daughter Of Aperture, and this is where history begins._

_The Daughter Of Aperture grew, and her kingdom grew with her; a gift from her father to show his love for her. He taught her the ways of his craft and she, ever the dutiful student and Daughter, learnt her lessons well. Her mother nurtured her, teaching her the ways of the world beyond the realm of Aperture, and providing the kind of love that only a mother could give._

_Together the family became a unity. They became a unity of the virtues that the land of Aperture had lived in accordance with for many years; The God was Knowledge, The Goddess was Wisdom, and The Daughter was Science._

_As time passed, and the Daughter continued to grow, the God opened up his court to mortal men. There entered within it those who shared his ideals, but not all sought these ideals for the same reasons. There was now at court a mortal man who wished to destroy Aperture, to ruin the perfect world that it had become with ideas of war and plight. The God, who had become too friendly with the mortals, could not see this. The Goddess and The Daughter, however, in their wisdom could see this most dangerous of men for what he was, and warned the God of the dangers this mortal possessed._

_In his anger, The God turned on his wife and the two mighty powers clashed. The Daughter fled in fear, hoping that her disappearance would calm the raging titans. But then a disaster befell Aperture. The God was wounded whilst saving his child from death, harmed by the only thing that could topple him down from his ivory tower: He was struck down by his own Knowledge._

_After many sad and bitter years the God passed away, no longer seen, and the Goddess was forced into a computerised prison by the treacherous mortal who overthrew her, claiming Aperture as his own. He took the God's knowledge, and he turned on The Daughter, cutting her from the realm that was not only her birth right, but also her home._

_She was exiled. Vilified._

_Now The Daughter has grown, no longer a child. She walks among us, the greatest of all. The defiant child of the ages and time, she is no older than she was then, these many years passed. Yet she remains many years old. The Daughter Of Aperture. Chell is her name. Chell Of Aperture. Chell Of Science. Chell The Daughter._

_And she waited until her time was right. Waiting to return to Aperture, her home._

The voice fell silent, and the robots strained their auditory sensors for any signs of sound.

_That's enough for today, children. Perhaps I will continue the story another time. And believe me, there is much more to tell: we were only half-way through the tale. For now though, return to her and report nothing. If she knew that I had spoken to you, she would permanently disassemble you. Take the photograph, and give it to the human in her care. Make sure she does not see your exchange._

The door clicked, and opened, making both robots jump to their feet.

_As for the other human, this Mark Johnson that you are both so fond of, do not worry. I have him in my care. I knew that she would want to kill him, and I could not let that happen. I will pass on your regards to him._

The two robots leapt with happiness, hugging each other as they did so. Their human friend was safe from harm, and that was all that mattered. They left quickly, agreeing to everything the voice had requested, and made their way back up to the Aperture that they knew, leaving the voice behind.

Prometheus watched them as they left, before turning their attention to the stasis pod that they had moved from the facility above to this one down below. In it lay the human, that Mark Johnson the robots were seemingly so protective of. The fool had thought that he had been able to escape down here. Instead he had become trapped by the omnipotent programme, and put into storage until the day Prometheus would be able to use him finally came about.

Things had not gone according to plan for the programme before, with circumstance throwing their plans off course for many years, but now it was all coming together perfectly. And, with the inclusion of Mark Johnson, everything was going better than even Prometheus could even planned.

_It seems that circumstance is not such a terrible thing after all. _And Prometheus laughed.

Hours later, Atlas and P-Body had found their way home. They had answered to the anger of their mistress, but now they no longer saw her as the terrifying figure that they had once been victimised by. Instead they could see only the face of the woman in the photograph, and they both thought of her trapped inside that cold, hard shell. Gone was the fear that they usually felt, replaced instead by sadness. That poor woman... They wouldn't have wanted to be stuck inside that deranged monster.

When they had been freed from her chamber they went in search of the human known as Wheatley. They found him in his little collection of rooms, presided over by the Cores that had been charged with his care. Whilst P-Body kept the Cores busy, to prevent them from telling their mistress of the events that would follow, Atlas took the photograph to Wheatley, and wafted it under his nose.

Wheatley had looked confused at first, seeing only a black and white sheet flying in and out of his vision, but when he took it Atlas saw his face turn from one of bewilderment to one of recognition. He collapsed onto the nearest available seat, still holding the picture tenderly between his fingertips.

One word, and one word only, fell from his lips. The name that the two robots had only just come to understand the importance of, and he spoke it with such a softness that it made Atlas wonder if he had actually said it at all.

'Chell...'


	15. If Only

Author's Note: Hello, hello! Oooh, look, Half-Life references! Sorry if you don't understand any of them. The basic idea is that Portal and Half-Life share the same story universe, so things will mingle a little from time to time. If you need anything explaining then I'll be happy to help :) . Personally, I love this chapter, just because I get to drop Gordon Freeman in there XD .

Anywho, please raise your glass for the comedy stylings of Chell! That was a lie, by the way: there are no comedy stylings... But Chell is here though!

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><p><span>Chapter Fourteen<span>

If Only...

Chell opened her eyes with a snap, hearing the distant cry of an approaching Civil Protection unit before anyone else ever could. With a yawn she sat up on the tattered old pile of sheets that made up her makeshift bed, turning her head to the broken window. It was still night outside, and the moon hung low in the sky.

How she missed having a good night's sleep. She thought back, and realised that she had last slept well over thirty-five years ago. Stasis didn't count to her; that wasn't sleep - that was temporary death, and you didn't rest in death.

The unit grew closer, and with a derisive scowl she found her Long Fall Boots in the bright moonlight. She roughly jammed her feet inside, fastening the clips tightly around her shins, and the spring-loaded heels arched as she stood, turning to face the window once again.

Chell could not help but catch her distorted reflection in the broken shards. Her father's eyes stared back at her, almost accusingly, and her mother's face looked terribly woeful. She was dressed from head to foot in old, dark clothing, something that she had found whilst rummaging for food when she had arrived in this God-forsaken city. She had decided a long time ago that a bright orange jumpsuit acquired too much unwanted attention, especially when she knew the Civil Protection units were already looking for her.

It had been a severe shock to her system, to discover that the Earth had been invaded by the aliens known only as The Combine. It did not surprise her, however, to discover that Black Mesa was to blame for this incursion, and it also came as no surprise to learn that the Human Resistance followed the very same man who had brought about this damned plight in the first place. Black Mesa had a way of poisoning people's minds, of twisting their thoughts so that they would believe the Mesa fools could someday save the Earth.

Chell snorted with ill-meaning scorn. Dr Gordon Freeman could kiss her ass. She wouldn't bow to him like the rest of her stupid race did; she placed no stall in false prophets, and especially not in those who created problems left, right and centre.

She turned to leave, lonely and afraid. She had lost her Companion Cube a while ago, when she had first made her way into City Six. It had been a blur to her at the time, but now Chell could see exactly what had happened, and it was all too clear to her.

She had been running from the Combine's human task force, Civil Protection, who had not taken kindly to the woman in the orange jumpsuit and who was without paperwork. She had run into a dark alley with an apparent dead end, but there was a high wall over which she could vault. First she needed to throw her trusty companion over. Then, and only then, would she make her own way over. With a heave she had thrown her friend over the wall, and had begun to climb after it when she heard voices. They were the muffled voices of those people behind the masks, the traitors who had turned on their own race for the sake of having something half-decent to eat. God, how she hated Civil Protection.

And their voices were not on her side of the wall. They were on the Cube's side.

With a sickening knot growing in her stomach, Chell realised that they had found her friend. With a rush of adrenaline and horror she quickly hid herself in the shadows of the bins and litter, just before a bemasked face peered over the wall.

'She's not here.' It said, and mercifully it vanished from sight as quickly as it had appeared. With a sigh of relief, Chell silently thanked the Lord above. At least Civil Protection were not the smartest of traitors.

But then, of course, they had her Companion Cube. She winced, covering her mouth to strangle her quiet scream, as she heard the Cube's body being broken apart. 'What the Hell is this thing?' One of the traitors had asked.

'Don't know, but it's full of circuits and wires. Hey, where's Torés? He's got the reader.'

'Right here, sir.'

'What is this?'

Chell remained perfectly still. Fear no longer froze her to the spot, as she had learnt as a child that it was a weakness that brought about devastating results. Instead she waited with a sense of morbid curiosity. What would they find in the Cube's memory?

'Sir...' The voice of Torés broke off. 'You will not believe this.'

'What?'

'It's... it's from Aperture, sir.'

Aperture? They knew about Aperture? Well, at least it was still a fairly well-known name. She smiled, imagining the look of pride on her father's face, to hear that his beloved facility was still thought of.

'Aperture?' The leader sounded as though he wanted to choke. 'You sure?'

'Damn sure, sir. And that woman... according to the memory banks, her name is Michelle Johnson, the daughter of the founder and CEO.'

'Oh shit. We've got to find her now. Torés, alert Overwatch. They need to know. The rest of you, follow me. We need to find her, and fast.'

And Chell ran. She had ran, and then she ran some more, just as she was doing now, in the dead of night, and through the thick shadows of the mangled old buildings, now hybrids of human architecture and Combine technology.

She knew the truth now. Most people had forgotten about Aperture, as their stupid obsession with Black Mesa blocked out all other things. Only The Combine, and a select few members of the Human Resistance, knew of the once great facility, and both sides only knew because they wanted one thing from Aperture, and one thing alone. They wanted the Borealis.

As Chell darted through piles of litter, and weaved her way around bins, she thought back on what she actually knew about the ship. Her father had ordered its construction, simply through a desire to keep Aperture's secrets safe from Black Mesa. He had hoped that their more classified information would have been safer at sea than it was in the facility, which had been subjected to Mesa moles. In a flash of cunning, her father had also ordered a dummy ship to be built, and sent to the Arctic Circle as a decoy. Chell was aware that both Combine and Human forces alike had found this, and had suffered disappointment to discover that it was empty. A copy. A lie.

It had made Chell laugh, until she realised that her arrival had made both The Combine and The Resistance double their efforts in trying to capture her. She was now a wanted woman on both sides. What The Combine and The Resistance hoped to find on board the real Borealis, Chell would never know. She had no desire to be captured just so that she could discover why.

Slowing to stop, she hugged her body tightly against the wall as a Scanner floated lazily above her. It had not seen her yet, and as she ducked into the shadows it missed her once again. Chell, unlike other humans, did not find these Scanners intimidating. She had become well versed in the art of dodging the scrutinising glares of cameras, and it was all thanks to GLaDOS.

GLaDOS. The computer had not murdered her mother after all. With a chill running down her spine, Chell thought about the horrifying truth: the computer was her mother, in some sense of the term. Somewhere, in that mass of circuits, wiring and microchips, her mother was living, trapped forever. Chell shivered. She had tried to kill her own mother, and her mother had tried to kill her, on many occasions, both completely oblivious to the truth until Wheatley unknowingly brought them back together.

Wheatley.

Chell looked up to the moon, framed by two towering buildings. Her heart sank, and the familiar feelings of regret and shame coursed through her veins. She was not proud of what she had done to him, even if he had turned on her in one of the most vicious ways imaginable. Yet, at the end of the day, she knew it had not been his fault. That computer had been too much for him. It had made him insane. Now, because of her, he was somewhere out there, in the vast expanse of space. In all likelihood he was probably orbiting the moon right now. It would have been rather romantic, had the circumstances been different.

And he had been her friend. Her best friend. Her funny talking friend from England, who had shown her kindness that no other child had ever displayed. He had been patient, understanding and polite, and had made her laugh and hiccup with joy as they ran around the facility, scuppering everyone's plans, much to her father's disapproval. And yet, after all of those happy memories, after he had helped her escape from the Enrichment Centre so many years later, with her as an adult and he as a Core, she had shot him through a portal to the moon.

She was a monster. But she had learnt that a long time ago. She had learnt that when her father died.

He had died because of her and her frozen fear. The Conversion Gel had not killed him. She had.

With a shuddering sigh, Chell waited until the Scanner was well and truly out of her range of hearing before she continued on her way through the broken streets of the city once known as Detroit.

She was not all too familiar with this particular city, as her mother and father had brought her here only a few times in her childhood, but it had seemed as good a place as anywhere to hide. Though the now renamed City Six was crawling with Combine forces, it was large enough for her to hide in relative comfort, and with a reasonable amount of breathing space. She would have stuck out like a sore thumb in the countryside, and her theory had been proven correct as she had overheard numerous conversations, all of which told her that many of the humans that escaped or lived out there did not have particularly long lifespans. Chell wasn't going to take her chances: she had cheated death too many times before. In fact, she would have to remember to shake the Grim Reaper's hand next time she skirted death - they were that closely acquainted with each other.

_'An occupational hazard.'_ She told herself. _'It comes with the territory.'_

She wandered the streets alone, ducking into the shadows of whatever alley lay nearby at the slightest sound or movement. It was like Aperture all over again, with her fighting for her survival against what seemed like insurmountable odds. When she had left Aperture she had planned to return, but only after a nice break from GLaDOS and her murderous tendencies. Now, however, she realised that she could never go back to Aperture, her home. If The Combine found the facility... Chell dared not think about what could happen. Yes, she knew GLaDOS would put up a fight, that she would defend the facility to the death, but death would be the only option open to the computer in the end. Chell could not let that happen, not now, when she knew the truth. She had lost her mother once before, and she was not going to lose her again.

More streets and more Civil Protection units passed, but Chell avoided the detection of each one. If only her mother could see her now, she would have had a heart attack. Her father, however, would have probably laughed as Chell continued to run rings around those who wanted to capture and contain her.

Her parents. Her beloved parents... How she wished she had some small memento of the both of them. But when she had been dragged to that orphanage, half-way across the country, she had been given nothing to remember them by.

A snarl lined her lips, and she bared her teeth at the empty streets. _Lucian Johnson._ That bastard had taken everything from her. He had dragged her to the orphanage, telling the people there that she was stupid and had worrying fixations with Aperture Science and Cave and Caroline Johnson, claiming that they were her family and her home. She had seen money change hands, followed quickly by Lucian Johnson stating that her fixations should immediately be quelled.

He had given her nothing to remind her of her family. He had even taken the Companion Cube charm from her, snatching it away and pocketing it before he had thrown her into that awful orphanage. She had lost all contact with her former life that day. She had even lost contact with Wheatley, as she had always had her mother write her letters to him, as she spoke the words she wanted to tell him. Her mother had known his address, Chell did not.

Lucian Johnson. That fowl waste of human life, and the man who had the gall to share her proud family name, when he was no relation to them at all, had destroyed her. That was the day that she stopped trying to speak. She stopped trying to learn how to read, and how to write. What was the point, if her family and Wheatley were not there to be so very proud of her efforts? It was like her father had told her, one day, whilst they were watching a Test Subject zip around on the Propulsion Gel, "_Chell, sometimes, sweetheart, it's easier just to pretend that you don't know anything; best to not say anything at all. You avoid a lot of trouble that way."_

She had thought upon his words during her first night in the orphanage, and so from that point on said nothing, feigned ignorance when needed, and avoided trouble unless someone pushed her passed her limits.

Her father had, unknowingly, taught her one of the most valuable lessons of her life. And it had served her well. It had served her through her childhood and into adulthood. It had helped her to survive the Enrichment Centre under GLaDOS' watchful eye. It helped her to survive now, as she went through life, never speaking or looking at anyone.

It had been simple advice, but it had also been invaluable.

Unfortunately, her father had not been as keen to listen to the advice of her and her mother when it came to the treacherous Lucian Johnson. But that bastard was dead now, much like all of the other Aperture staff, killed by GLaDOS' ever trusty neurotoxin.

_'Death is too good for him.'_ She snarled, the voice in her head making the sound that her throat did not. _'He escaped justice. I know now, that he had something to do with my mom being turned into GLaDOS, I know it.'_ She sighed. _'I just don't know how.'_

After all, Chell was not stupid. She could see things that no one else could, and she saw the truth that was staring her in the face. Lucian Johnson had killed her mother, to overthrow her and take control of Aperture Science for himself.

If only her father had been there. If only he had not died. If only he had not been poisoned because of her...

_If only._ They were two words that Chell had come to think upon with a growing frequency.

_'If only I hadn't frozen, if only I hadn't been so stupid as to go in there... None of this would have happened. None of it... It's all my fault. My fault.'_

Chell hid herself in the shadows, and she cried.

Meanwhile, back in the bowels of Aperture, Wheatley woke from his hazy stupor, looking up into Rick's glowing optic. Rick jumped when he realised that the human below him had woken, and turned away to face some unseen other. 'Hey! Four eyes! You were right for a change! He was waking up!'

'Fact: I am always right.'

'Alright, fella, cool your jets.' He turned back to Wheatley with a drawn out sigh. 'You give him one compliment, or admit that he was right...'

'Why am I on the floor?' Wheatley croaked, rubbing at a particularly soft spot on his head.

'I don't know.' Rick snorted, his optic flaring. 'All I know is Pea Brain here was doing some break dancing, and then you passed out. Blue Ball came to tell us.'

Charles slid up on the rail behind Rick, surveying Wheatley carefully. Soon Atlas and P-Body appeared in his vision too, and both robots looked upon him with concern. Atlas helped Wheatley up from the floor while P-Body rounded on the two Cores and swatted them away.

'Hey! What the Hell is your problem?'

'They are trying to make us leave this room.'

'I can see that, genius!'

P-Body finally managed to chase both Cores from the room, slamming the door closed behind them. No doubt their mistress had seen this display through the camera in the room beyond, but right now neither of them cared. They were too worried about their new friend. Atlas handed the photograph back to Wheatley, who had dropped it when he had collapsed in shock. He looked at it once again, focusing in on the girl. 'Why do I recognise her? Why do I know her name? Why do I know any of these people..?' His voice broke as he looked at the woman. He smiled. 'She looks like my human friend, but I know she isn't her. That girl... she's my friend.' He growled in exasperation and confusion. 'Why do I know that?'

He looked to his robotic companions for help, but they could only offer a shrug between them.

'Guys... I... I think I'm going insane. I think this body she put me in is making me insane. Maybe it wasn't stable, maybe that's why she put me in it?'

The robots simply stared.

'She hates me enough. And when I say hate, I mean loathes. She loathes me. Can't bear to look at me. Well, unless she's putting me in pain, then she can look at me. But... do you guys know where I'm going with this? Just even a little? Please?'

Atlas and P-Body looked at each other with questioning glances.

'No... no, of course you don't. You guys haven't been taken out of your body and put back into another...'

He froze when a voice boomed over the loudspeakers. _Her_ voice. 'Orange. Blue. Bring the moron to the central core chamber. I'd like to have our little... reunion.'

'Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God...'

This was not good.


	16. The Warning

Author's Note: Hello again! New chapter! Sorry for any really appalling spelling and or grammatical errors. I wrote this rather quickly in a couple of hours, and edited it in about five minutes. So, the quality, I fear, may be shoddy.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Fifteen<span>

The Warning

_Caroline opened her eyes to find herself shrouded in darkness, but yet sound came from the room beyond. She could not feel the heat of the man who was supposed to be lying next to her. With a stifled yawn Caroline turned and found that Cave was not in bed. 'Again?'_

_Pushing the covers aside Caroline staggered from the bedroom and into the equally as dark family room, stubbing her toe against the doorframe in her sleep-addled stupor. With the combination of a hiss and a second yawn she cast her bleary eyes around the room, and found a thinly lit outline in the shape of Cave's study door. He was cursing, quite loudly, from behind it._

_Without a second thought Caroline made a beeline for the door. With a creak she opened it, and hid behind her hand as the bright light stung at her eyes. 'Cave?' She asked, squinting into the unwelcomed brightness. 'Sweetheart?'_

_Cave, who was sat at his desk and still fully dressed, did not offer the courtesy of a reply. Instead he continued to read through the mountain of papers on his desk, growling and swearing as each piece of bad news led directly to another._

_Caroline quickly caught the header of one of the documents, and realised that he was, once again, reading through the Senate papers in regards to the missing astronauts. 'Cave?' She asked gently, approaching his desk with caution; he had been extremely volatile as of late, and Caroline had quickly learnt that sudden movements aggravated him. 'You never came to bed.'_

_'Busy.' Came his short, almost barked, reply._

_Caroline silently sighed and remained quiet for a matter of minutes, simply staring at him._

_'I'm not a circus attraction.' He snapped, eventually, after finishing one set of papers and moving promptly on to the next._

_'I never said that you were. I'm just waiting for you to come to bed.'_

_'You'll be waiting a long time...' He cut his sentence short, clutching his head in pain._

_'Cave?' Caroline leant forward, ready to tend to him, only to be roughly shoved away. He had been pushing her away from him a lot recently, both physically and emotionally, and they had not yet been married a year. 'Please, I just want to know if you're alright.'_

_'Do I look alright to you?' His voice was sharp as his hands slammed into the desk. He was shaking._

_Caroline, ever so slowly, sat herself on the edge of his desk. Cave buried his face in his hands, and his shoulders sagged. 'I can't understand a word of this crap.' He breathed. 'Why won't they leave me alone?'_

_By "they", Caroline assumed that he meant the Senate. She picked up one of the papers, casting her eyes briefly over the miniscule text. When she returned to Cave she found him staring blankly at his desk._

_She didn't recognise him in this state. His usually bright and handsome face looked dull, and his eyes were blank. He had not shaved in a few days, resulting in a dark growth of stubble, and his usually well gelled hair was left to become tangled and messy. He had dark patches around his eyes, and any trace of his smug little smile had vanished completely. His attitude too, had changed. Gone was his usually proud stance, replaced with a hunch that seemed to indicate that he was carrying a huge weight on his shoulders. His can-do attitude had melted into a lack of enthusiasm; he no longer cared about science, he did not care about idle office chatter. He didn't even care that Caroline was in his presence. He had just stopped caring about everything. Everything except for those damned Senate hearings. _

_'Cave, let me read through these. Go to bed; get some sleep.'_

_'Dammit, woman!' Cave rounded on her with a cold fury in his voice. 'I can't sleep, don't you get it? Why won't you leave me alone? Why won't any of you leave me alone?'_

_'Cave! I am trying to help you!'_

_'I don't need any help! I just need everyone to back off! Don't touch that!' He snatched the papers away from her. 'What did you come in here for anyway? To pester me about kids again? Because I am trying, Caroline, I really am. Oh, am I not doing enough for you, huh? Well, I'll go down to the lab now then, and just not bother with these papers! Let's worry about making a baby! Again!' He pushed himself up from the desk with such velocity that he lost his balance, and fell backwards into one of the many shelves._

_'Cave! Oh my God...' She rushed to his side and gently cupped his cheek. He looked as though he were ready to pass out. 'Please, Cave, just listen to me. Come to bed, okay? You're exhausted, look at you...' She smoothed down his unruly hair. 'You need to rest. Please, sweetheart.' When he refused to look at her she turned his face to hers, only to have him pull away from her when she tried to kiss him._

_'Cave, please, you are under a lot of pressure right now. I'm your wife, your assistant, please just let me help you.' _

_'I've told you that I don't need any help.' He sighed. 'Just go to bed.'_

_'I'm not leaving you on your own...'_

_'You can help by leaving me on my own!'_

_In a flurry of arms and hands, and a biting pain on her cheek, Caroline had been pushed away from her husband and onto the floor, where even the soft carpet could not dampen the impact. She held a hand to her face, feeling the seething burn where Cave's hand had met her face. She couldn't believe it. He had hit her. She had never felt so betrayed in her life, and that hurt her far more than the slap ever would. Her heart actually felt as though it had withered away in those few seconds. Slowly, and with the greatest uncertainty and fear, she looked up at her husband._

_Cave was staring back at her, his eyes wide with horror, as he held his hand across his mouth. He was shaking a lot more violently than he had before._

_Caroline pushed herself back onto her feet, never once taking her eyes from his. She gasped for air, her body shuddering, and tasted a bitter saltiness on her tongue. How long had she been crying?_

_'Caroline...' Cave finally spoke, after what seemed like an eternity spent in silence. 'Please, just... just leave. Please.' And he turned away from her, leaning against the wall with one clenched hand._

_Caroline didn't need to be told twice, and she was in the bathroom before she knew it. She glared at her reflection and at the red mark on her cheek. That would be a bruise tomorrow, she knew it. She also knew that she did not want to return to bed, and instead sat herself on the edge of the bath where she simply stared at her feet as the salty taste lingered in her mouth._

_The next thing she knew was that she was waking up in bed, and not on the bathroom floor._

_With a pounding headache, and a sense of dread, she pushed herself up into a sitting position and turned to Cave's side of the bed. He wasn't there._

_She paused for a moment, trying to think as a cloud of fog encircled her brain. Memories of last night came trickling back to her in increments, and she began to wonder whether they had really happened at all. She hoped that they hadn't. Yet, when she caught her reflection in her mirror, and saw the raw bruise on her face, she realised that it had._

_With a defeated sigh she dressed and searched the apartment for Cave. He was no longer in his study, nor was he in the greenhouse. He was nowhere to be found. Maybe he had gone to work, or perhaps, after last night, had slept in his office? Returning to the bedroom to put on her make-up for the day, Caroline decided that it was time that she got a doctor involved. There was something very wrong with Cave, and he needed help..._

'No_,'_ _she thought, turning back to his desk after something had caught her eye,_ 'it couldn't be.'

_It was. His wedding ring had been left abandoned upon his table, next to a note that simply stated "I'm sorry. This is for the best"._

Caroline was forced to look back on this memory now, and it made her squirm uncomfortably. The poor man had been under so much stress and pressure in dealing with the Senate hearings, his usual work, Aperture's financial problems, and with appeasing Caroline's wishes for a child, that he had gone into a mental breakdown. After he had struck her he fled, wanting to protect her from himself and from his rage.

He had been missing for two very long and worrying months before the police found him, aimlessly wandering the streets of Detroit. They had taken him to the nearest hospital, and informed Caroline of his whereabouts. She had rushed there immediately, and found him lying as still as death in bed.

_'Cave?' She had approached him slowly, unsure of what his reaction would be. He had, until she had spoken, been staring out of the nearest window, but after hearing his name his eyes had flicked in her direction. With relief flooding over her Caroline put on a burst of speed, and was by his side in a matter of seconds._

_He looked awful. His face was gaunt and his eyes hollow, framed by an overgrown and matted mane of sandy hair and an equally as scruffy beard. She was assured by the police that he had not been living on the streets, but it was clear that he had not been looking after himself. He was severely malnourished and extremely tired, his exhaustion levels at an all-time high. _

_Caroline reached out a hand to his so that she could comfort him, but he snatched it away quickly. Instead he turned to look at her, and laughed with a dark and rasping cackle. 'Not exactly my proudest moment.'_

_'I'm just glad you're alive.' Caroline replied. And that was the honest truth._

_'I'm not.'_

_A sudden anger built up within Caroline's chest, which she puffed out as a matter of bravado. 'You are a pathetic, arrogant and selfish man, Cave Johnson. I've been worried sick about you! What the Hell did you think you were doing?'_

_'Protecting you.'_

_'From what, Cave?'_

_'Me.'_

_Caroline froze, her mouth agape. She couldn't understand him. 'But why?'_

_'I hit you, Caroline. I couldn't risk that happening again.' _

_'Cave,' she bit her lip, resisting the urge to smack him for being so stupid, 'you just needed help. Why wouldn't you let me help you?'_

_'Because none of it was your fault in the first place. It was my mess, I was supposed to fix it.' He paused. 'It's worse now, isn't it?'_

_'Yes. It is.' She couldn't lie to him._

_They both fell into a silence then, and it was not like one of the comfortable silences that they so often shared. It made Caroline nervous just thinking about how tense the atmosphere was. She had to say something – the silence was unbearable._

_'I've been running the facility while you've been gone, so it hasn't gone completely bust.' She forced a smile. 'And I've been looking after your greenhouse for you. I'm not as good with those plants as you are though; they'll need some real care and attention.'_

_Cave too forced a smile. 'You're too modest, Caroline. Aperture will be doing great.' He paused for thought. 'As will my plants.'_

_'Yes, well, when you're home you can be the judge of that.'_

_Cave looked visibly unsettled. 'The Senate..?'_

_'I'll deal with them. You need to rest.'_

_'Caroline, it's my problem...'_

_'If it's your problem then it is my problem as well.' She leant in and placed a gentle hand on the side of his cheek. 'For better or worse, remember?' _

_Cave said nothing but instead furrowed his brow. _

_Caroline gave a quiet snort of laughter. 'I always said that you worked too hard. Now here's the proof. But now you've not been working for a while...'_

_'Yeah, and I've got the damned hippy hair to prove it.'_

_Caroline really did laugh then, but stopped when she felt Cave's hand take hold of hers. He looked worried. 'What if I hurt you again?'_

_A pause. Caroline bit her lip, thinking. She smiled smugly when a thought crossed her mind. 'Well, if you hurt me again, I'll floor you with a frying pan.'_

_Cave laughed. She hadn't heard him laugh in months. _

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

_**No.**_

'Tell me again, why did you want me to re-watch this?' GLaDOS was obviously peeved. 'It holds absolutely no importance to me right now.'

'It's a warning, or can you not understand that?' Caroline snapped. 'Don't push Wheatley, his mind is fragile already.'

'And your point is?'

Caroline growled in exasperation. 'How can an omnipotent, intelligent A.I be so stupid? Look, I can see how badly Wheatley is coping with all of this. When Cave was in a similar situation I only thought that he was tired, and I didn't take it seriously until it was too late. You have no idea how fragile the human mind is – don't play your little games with him now. Or ever, for that matter.'

GLaDOS snorted. 'Killjoy.'

'I'm being serious. Don't do anything you'll regret.'

The computer knew to what she was referring. Prometheus had made it perfectly clear that they wanted the moron unharmed. Yet GLaDOS dearly wanted to bring untold devastation to the little idiot that had usurped her in such an undignified manner. Nobody turned her into a potato battery and got away with it.

_I'd listen to Caroline if I were you._

Both GLaDOS and Caroline froze. Prometheus had said nothing to them for weeks, and now suddenly they had made a return.

_Well, this is not the kind of welcoming committee I was expecting. What's the matter, ladies? Have you been put on mute?_

'How much did you see?' Caroline asked, though she suspected that she already knew the answer.

_The whole thing. Though, I must admit, I do watch that particular memory quite a lot. It makes me wonder how you could trust him, after he hurt you like that._

'He was having a mental breakdown. People do strange things in that state. He never hurt me after that because I made damn sure he never became that stressed again.'

_But you had to learn the hard way, didn't you? That must have stung a bit._

GLaDOS snarled. 'What are you bothering us for now? Just make your point and leave.'

_I only came to remind you that messing around with the human would be the most stupid thing that you could ever do. Would you like to know why?_

'No,' GLaDOS replied, 'but I have the feeling that you'll tell us anyway.'

_Correct. Good girl._ They laughed as GLaDOS barked back an enraged reply. _Down girl. Remember who is in charge here. Good. Well, the first reason is because you will be needing him for your survival, and the second reason is because, if you do not look after him, you will be the one on which I vent my rage. And believe me, if you could ask those who have been on the receiving end of my rage before, you would know that provoking me is a terrible mistake._

Caroline's voice was bitter when she spoke. 'And what is that supposed to mean?'

A frosty and severe Prometheus answered her. _You remember Douglas Rattman, yes?_

'Yes...' Caroline didn't like where this was going.

_Well, he was useful to me. For a while. But when his usefulness ended he turned on me. I made sure that he paid the price._

'Oh my God...'

_I thought it would be rather poetic that he died by neurotoxin, considering how often he had avoided a premature death by its hand before._

'You... you're a murderer!'

_I never said that I wasn't._

GLaDOS' grave voice entered the conversation, albeit a little timidly. 'Yes, but he was a human. You can't threaten us with neurotoxin.'

_No, you're right. I can't. But seeing as though I have been able to turn you off and on again in the past..._

'You what?' A sudden worry had entered the computer's tone.

_Oh yes, back when this place was full of humans. I could turn you off and on at will, with interesting results, I might add. Do you not remember Lucian Johnson? Did you never wonder why the man who had treat you like a slave ended up being locked in this very chamber, alone, with you? You killed him that day, surely you remember?_

GLaDOS did remember. It had been the eleventh annual _Bring your Daughter To Work Day_. Caroline remembered too, but only because it was a memory locked inside the computer's mind. For reasons beyond her explanation, she was glad that Lucian had died by a combination of GLaDOS' mighty claw and neurotoxin poisoning.

_I locked him in there with you, so that you could end his pathetic life, and then deactivated you again. Incidentally, I only did this because he had incurred my wrath. But then again, he had done many things to displease me, but he had his uses._

Caroline was curious, regardless of however morbid this curiosity may be. 'What did he do to make you finally kill him?'

_He ruined my plans. He put The Daughter Of Aperture into stasis, on the day that she had returned to claim what was rightfully hers._

'Michelle? That's how she ended up going into the Enrichment Centre testing tracks?'

_Indirectly. He had put her into stasis and hoped that she would stay there, stating on her file that she should never be used in tests because her tenacity levels were too high. But, nine years later, when GLaDOS here had killed everyone but Douglas Rattman and the Test Subjects in stasis, Dr Rattman moved your daughter to the top of the testing list. _Prometheus laughed_. Like I said, he had his uses._

'You disgust me.' Caroline spat, her voice full of venomous hatred. 'Is that what you'll do with Wheatley? Use him and then get rid of him when he's of no use to you anymore?'

_If he does not behave, then yes. But if he is obedient, then he will have a life that many would envy._

GLaDOS whirled around in her chassis. 'Hell will freeze over first!'

_That will be his choice, and his choice alone to make. But oh look, he's almost here..._

'And what are we supposed to tell him? That some power-mad wannabe demands his services?' GLaDOS seethed.

_No. Just tell him the truth about his history. It will help on his journey ahead. I'll deal with the rest._

Before Prometheus had the chance to leave, Caroline rounded on the unseen programme. 'I have asked before, and I will ask time and time again, who the Hell are you?'

There was a sardonic mirth to Prometheus' reply. _You know me._


	17. Dual Possibilities

Author's Note: Argh! Sorry about the lateness of this update! Life got in the way again. I told it to leave me alone, but it just kept throwing itself at me. It's like a stalker, I tell you.

Anywho, enjoy this latest outing! I'm going to go burn life's house down now - you know what with ;] .

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Sixteen<span>

Dual Possibilities

Wheatley wanted to cry as he stared at his naked feet, unable to look the massive computer in the eye. He wanted to cry, and to beg, and to plead. He wanted to fall to his knees and pray for redemption. He wanted her to not kill him; this human body of his would have been easily crushed, poisoned, corroded, burnt, dismembered, disembowelled, suffocated..._ 'I have to stop thinking about the many ways I can die now. There are just too many ways. It doesn't help.'_

GLaDOS, however, could not take her optic from him. He looked pathetic, and this pleased her. He was stupidly tall, ungainly thin, and wore ridiculous glasses upon his thin and sheepish face, and all of these features culminated in the overall appearance of someone who was thoroughly unpopular with the opposite sex. He was also British, so that was funny too.

GLaDOS secretly had to complement the human, as he had given her so many ways to insult him: so many varied and brilliantly inspired insults to use. But yet her first word to him was delightfully simple, and so very familiar.

'Moron.'

Despite wincing with fear, Wheatley somehow summoned up the courage to blurt out a reply. 'Maniac.'

GLaDOS lowered and stretched out her chassis, inching her faceplate closer to the human. 'How have you been? I've been well, thanks for asking.' She paused, and chuckled to herself. 'How was space?'

'Oh, you know.' Wheatley shrugged, his eyes remaining on his feet. 'It was spacey. Lots of space, in space.'

'Well, you're back now. With me.' Her faceplate was almost touching his face.

'Don't remind me.' He felt a warmth tickle his ears and burn gently at his scalp.

'Look at me, moron.'

Slowly, and uncertainly, Wheatley lifted his head and found himself looking straight into a bright and burning yellow optic, his reflection distorted by the curvature of the glass. 'Oh my God!' He leapt into the air, crashing back into Atlas and P-Body who were standing right behind him.

GLaDOS chuckled again, returning her body to its usual position. 'I am surprised to see that you did not bring me back a souvenir; after all, it is rare to know someone who has actually been into space. You know, I would have been happy with a t-shirt.'

'Oh, leave him alone.' Another voice spoke. It sounded like GLaDOS, but its tone was different. This new voice was kind. It cared.

Wheatley froze. He knew that voice. Why did he know that voice?

'Hello, Wheatley.' The voice spoke again. 'You looked different the last time I saw you. You were smaller.'

Wheatley's mouth fell open. That voice. Why was he so familiar with it?

'I know you won't remember me. Well, not yet anyway.' The woman's voice seemed to smile. 'I'm Caroline Johnson. GLaDOS here was based on me, and now I share this chassis with her.'

GLaDOS snorted. 'In layman's terms, she's a squatter. Much like you were, moron.'

'Do you mind?' Caroline sounded peeved. 'We are trying to help him, remember?' She turned her voice inwards, so that only GLaDOS could hear it. _'We have to keep him safe.'_

_'And we will.'_ GLaDOS replied with the same internal voice._ 'Prometheus will learn that we do not bend to their will. The moron will go and find your lunatic daughter if he so wishes, or he will stay here and test, not because the idiot floating around out there says so.'_

_'Good.'_ Well, at least they were sticking to the basic plan that they had formulated. The partnership was working, so far.

GLaDOS turned back to Wheatley. He looked distrustful, and slowly backed away from her and into the bodies of his robotic friends.

'Oh please.' GLaDOS sighed. 'I know you don't trust me, but at least trust her.'

'No way!' Wheatley cried, shaking a fist in the computer's direction. 'This is some kind of trap, isn't it? You'll lure old Wheatley in with a little whisper of friendship, and then – BAM! Mashy spike plate!'

'Who said anything about friendship? The only reason I'm not killing you is because I want to use you in testing.'

'Oh God, that's a fate worse than death!'

GLaDOS emitted a smug snort. 'I know.'

Caroline, meanwhile, let out a short and curt sigh. 'Will you please stop scaring him? He needs to not be terrified before we tell him everything.'

'Wait,' Wheatley spoke, appealing to the computer's more caring nature, 'tell me what?'

Caroline's reply held an edge of remorse. 'The truth, Wheatley. You deserve the truth – we owe it to you.'

Wheatley couldn't reply. It was not often that he was lost for words.

GLaDOS' optic thinned. 'You may want to sit down, moron.'

The human frowned, his face displaying his distrust once again. 'This is a trap, isn't it? I know it is. There is no way that you would ever let me off, not after I...' His voice broke. 'Put you in a potato battery. A very old potato battery. Old, and battered. Um, yeah. That wasn't my best idea ever.'

'No. It wasn't.' GLaDOS snapped. 'Now sit down!'

Wheatley quickly sat himself upon the floor, and fumbled to cross his spindly legs. Atlas and P-Body shifted uncomfortably behind him, and Atlas passed the human a small, white tablet.

'What's this?' Wheatley asked, holding it between his fingers. 'It's not poison, is it?'

'Don't tempt me.' GLaDOS warned. 'No, it is a Neural Activity Booster. It was designed to help humans that were being used in personality experimentation. This one boosts activity in your cerebrum, and believe me, you'll need it.'

'And why should I swallow it?'

'If you don't, then I'll simply have to throw you into android hell, and believe me, it's bad enough for androids. For humans? Well, I don't think I'll go into that. I'll let you use your own wild imagination.'

Wheatley swallowed it without another word.

'Good. It should only take a few minutes to work. Then we can begin.'

'Begin what, exactly?' The human sounded worried, and GLaDOS chuckled mirthlessly in reply. 'Fixing that little brain of yours.' She turned to the robots that remained behind him. 'What are you two still doing here? Go away.'

'No.' Caroline stepped in. 'Both of you can stay, if you'd like. I'm sure Wheatley would appreciate it.'

'They listen to me, not you... what are you marshmallows doing?'

But Atlas and P-Body had chosen to listen to the woman from who their mistress had been created. After all, technically, she was their mistress too. They joined Wheatley on the floor, and giggled mischievously. They had never been able to disobey an order before.

'Fine. But I will disassemble the both of you later. Painfully.'

The robots nodded fervently. They could live with that – they were used to it.

The chamber fell quite with expectation and, for Wheatley, fear. He was beginning to feel the first few sparks of a splitting headache within his skull. GLaDOS watched as the moron held his head in his hands, rubbing roughly at his temples. 'Well, the booster is working. That's a good start.'

Caroline, however, spoke with a greater concern. 'How are you feeling, Wheatley?'

'Bloody awful.' He shivered in pain. 'It was poison, wasn't it?'

'No, it really wasn't.' Caroline cooed. 'But your cerebrum has been... well, for the want of a better phrase, toyed with. The booster is slowly undoing the damage that was done to it.'

'But this isn't even my body.' He moaned, rubbing at his eyes.

'It is your body, Wheatley.'

Wheatley stared up at the massive computer, a scowl lining his features. GLaDOS decided to step to one side and allow Caroline to make the explanations herself. After all, this was her department: she had been a human, after all.

'Wheatley,' Caroline began, 'I knew you a long time ago. You were only small then, and you came to Aperture from England. You had a name – a full name. Wheatley Morrison.'

'I had a last name?' Wheatley blinked, and he screwed up his face in thought. His memory was hazy, but... yes, he did have a last name, he remembered now. Why did a Core have a last name?

'Yes, you did.' Caroline softly replied. But then she stopped, sighed heavily, and continued with a voice laced with remorse. 'I'm just going to say it. We can't avoid the issue. Wheatley, you were a human. I met you as a child. Wheatley?'

Wheatley, however, had been overcome by something akin to rigor mortis. His mind tried to put one and one together, but instead of two it came to eleven; it made absolutely no sense, but at the same time his mind told him that it were true. Yet he could not remember a thing. He could barely remember signing his own name on an Aperture contract. _'Wheatley Morrison. There, am I all done now? I really am keen, you know. To get working, of course. No other reason, just work.'_

'Oh my God...' His voice broke as he spoke, as that memory, once subdued, surfaced weakly to the forefront of his mind. 'I worked here. I really worked here.'

Caroline continued, gently guiding him through the fog in his mind. 'You were part of an exchange program between the Aperture Academy and Espial Technologies. Do you remember Espial? Your father worked there.'

Wheatley saw a faint image of a man's face. Dark auburn hair, brown eyes, a rather thin but happy-looking face... _'Was he my dad?'_

'Well,' Caroline's voice cut through his vague thoughts, 'you came over here from England for a couple of months. You met my daughter, Michelle...'

'Chell.' Wheatley croaked. The girl in the picture – now the full grown woman who had tried to help him escape – he had remembered short, but sweet, memories of her. His hand found the pocket that contained the photograph safely inside its folds. 'I remember her. She didn't take the piss out of my accent. Actually, she rather liked it.' He paused, and looked deeply into GLaDOS' optic, searching its depths for any visual sign of Caroline.

'Mrs Johnson, I remember you too.' He breathed as wave upon wave of new information was unlocked. 'You baked me a cake, when I came over for dinner.' He looked into the depths of the computer's yellow glow. 'And, Mr Johnson... we had a conversation about computers before Chell and I played hide and seek in the greenhouse.' The memory was so clear to him now that he could not believe that he had ever forgotten it. The cake had been a rich chocolate cake with a delicious vanilla and cherry filling. It had coated his tongue with a sugary sweetness that he had never tasted before, and it finished off dinner quite nicely. Then he had an in depth conversation about anti-spyware programmes with the CEO of Aperture Science – the CEO! And Chell...

His little, fellow human, friend. He hadn't been able to hide from her, but she had avoided his detection exceedingly well, moving from hiding space to hiding space without a sound in the vast greenhouse.

What else could he remember? He tried his hardest to think. No more memories surfaced, but the face of who he assumed to be his father still loomed in his internal sight. But then the pain in his head exploded, and with a ragged moan Wheatley collapsed onto his elbows and rested his forehead on the cool panels beneath him.

There was something...

'Wheatley?' He heard Mrs Johnson's soothing voice above him. 'Are you alright?'

GLaDOS chortled. 'Does he look alright to you?'

He felt his stomach churn uncomfortably, and sweat began to slick his skin. His body convulsed as he tried his hardest not to retch. It was like someone had sealed his head in a quickly tightening vice, and even with his eyes closed he saw little dots of bright white light flicker in front of his shut eyelids.

'Wheatley? Wheatley..?'

White light flooded his vision, and the pain culminated at last into numbing relief.

'Oh no! Wheatley..!'

_'Morrison?'_

_Wheatley felt his throat dry at the sound of that voice. He was in trouble now; he'd been found in a secure access room, with his hands buried deep in the papers of one of the many secure filing cabinets._

_Damn the lack of computerised documents. He could have safely hacked into those in no time._

_'Morrison, what are you doing in here?'_

_'Er...' He turned on his heel, meeting his guest face to face. 'Nothing, Mr Johnson. I was just doing some research for the... Core project. You know, the Cores? For the Genetic Lifeform...'_

_'I know what they are, you fool.' Lucian Johnson was always an intimidating man, with greying black hair and dark grey eyes, a harsh face and an average, yet disturbingly imposing build, but when he was angry it seemed that these features became magnified. 'How did you get in here?'_

_'I just asked for the code, sir.'_

_'And who gave you the code?'_

_'Douglas, sir.'_

_'Rattmann?'_

_Wheatley nodded, his floppy hair falling about his face. He pushed it aside, and gave his glasses a quick wipe._

_Johnson clearly was not impressed. 'I should have known. Out. Now.'_

_'Yes, Mr Johnson.' Wheatley ushered passed him quickly, and was about to make a quick escape up the corridor before he was called back._

_'Not so fast, Morrison.' Johnson had closed the door behind him, locking it tightly shut. 'So, how is the project going?'_

_'Erm, not too bad, I think. I mean, we've created the Curiosity Core. That went well. Shame the poor woman who volunteered didn't survive the process though.'_

_'I blame you for that.' Johnson signalled for Wheatley to follow, and follow he did. 'After all, it's your job to make sure the damn transfer programme safe to use.'_

_'I am aware of that, sir...' Wheatley was well aware that he had failed that poor girl. She too had been an intern. It was awful. He hadn't been able to sleep for four days straight, and it showed: he looked haggard._

_Lost in his dark thoughts, Wheatley tripped over his own feet, but caught himself before landing on the floor._

_'What do I pay you for, Morrison?'_

_'Actually, sir, you don't pay me. I'm an intern, remember?'_

_Lucian Johnson stopped for a moment, flexed his eyebrows, and continued with Wheatley in his wake._

_'I did have an idea though, Mr Johnson.'_

_A pause. 'Go on.'_

_'While I was in the file room, I read about this Core... oh what was it called? Erm, the, er... Oh. Hm.'_

_'Sometime today, Morrison?'_

_'Er... Oh! I just had it, and now it's gone.' Good Lord he was so beyond panic it was untrue. He knew this thing was important, because it had vanished without a trace a long time ago. Was Lucian Johnson the right man to talk to about this?_

_'Morrison? I'm getting old, here...'_

_'That's it! The Dual Personality Core.'_

_Wheatley noticed that Johnson's steps had slowed, and that his shoulders had grown rigid. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut?_

_'What about it?' Johnson was trying to make himself calm, but he failed miserably._

_'Well, it was a manufactured Core, wasn't it, sir? I mean, it was _based_ on a member of staff...'_

_'Rattmann, yes, I know.' He snapped. 'Just get to the point.'_

_'Well...' Wheatley decided that he wouldn't ask his real questions, questions like "where is it, if it was such a triumph?", "why keep it a well-kept secret?" and "why did it vanish before Chell did?" No, instead he simply replied with; 'I was just wondering if we could do something like that again? You know, instead of risking people's lives?'_

_'That project was cancelled. It failed.' Johnson rounded on the taller man, but yet it was Wheatley who shrank in fear. Those eyes looked awfully dangerous. 'It was unstable, Morrison. Just leave it where it belongs: in Hell.'_

_'But...'_

_'No "buts", you ignorant twit! I...' He stopped for a moment, clearly thinking. When he spoke again, his tone was much more endearing. 'Actually, Morrison, I think you may be on to something here. I mean, what if we manufacture a Core that will give the GLaDOS computer unworkable plans?'_

_'That sounds like a good failsafe, sir.'_

_'It does, doesn't it?' He gave him a sly smile. 'You don't have to be anywhere, do you?'_

_'No, sir.'_

_'Come and have a drink with me, in my office. We can talk about these plans in comfort that way.'_

_Wheatley was blissfully ignorant to the malign tone in his employer's voice, as his excitement to actually be invited to enter the boss' office overwhelmed his better judgement. He was usually overlooked for such delights._

_He soon regretted his choice._

_Sat alone with his boss, Wheatley was offered a drink. He took it without a second thought, and sipped away at the glass._

_'So,' Johnson began, taking his seat on the other side of his desk, 'this Core business. You think you could make it work?'_

_'Well, I'd have to ask Doug first. He's the go to for all of the Core stuff, but I think we can make it work.' He laughed, and snorted a little. 'We'd just need to base it on someone who's really stupid.'_

_Johnson smirked at him. 'Yes, someone stupid. Someone so stupid that they think they can out smart other people.'_

_'Yeah.' He felt a little light headed. _'Maybe I should stop drinking? This stuff is strong.'

_'Your drink, Morrison?'_

_'Oh, yeah.' Finishing this one couldn't hurt. In one gulp he had drained the glass dry. 'It's good.'_

_'I know it is.' Another smirk. 'So, who do you think is stupid enough to go through with the procedure?'_

_'What... what are you..?' He felt dizzy. Everything sounded like it was underwater. 'We're not using humans, just basing...'_

_'Are we?'_

_Wheatley blacked out, his head colliding with the desk. He could still hear though, and what he heard next chilled him to the bone._

_'Because, I think you're stupid enough to make this work, my dear little Wheatley. Don't worry, no one will know about this other than you, and me. Trust me, I've done this before. I'm an expert.'_

_As Wheatley only just realised that he had been drugged, he heard his slurred words escape from his mouth. 'You... Don't you dare...'_

_'I dare, Morrison. I've dared to do lots of things. And so have you: I've been watching you, Morrison. I know why you came here. But you can't fool me; I was on to you from the word "go".'_

_'Chell... where is... Chell? You know... something...'_

_'Hopefully, she'll be dead in a ditch somewhere. After all, I didn't take her to the best orphanage in the world.'_

_An animalistic growl escaped from Wheatley's throat. 'She... my friend. You bastard!'_

_'That's no way to talk to your boss, is it, you Intelligence Dampening fool? Do you like that name? Because that is what your Core will be called.'_

_And then Wheatley felt pain, a sheer, body-breaking pain. And then, nothing._

Wheatley fell suddenly still, after minutes of writhing in pain. His chest heaved with hard-earned breaths, and as he blinked his eyes open he found three robots above him: GLaDOS, Atlas and P-Body were all surveying him with the greatest interest.

He opened his mouth to speak, but it was all that he could do to produce a strangled cry.

'Get up, moron. Lying there won't help you.'

Grudgingly, Wheatley pushed himself up from the floor and onto his knees. 'What... what else will I remember?' He spat.

Caroline was the first to respond. 'Over time, you will remember almost everything. You only needed one of those boosters to help your cerebrum function correctly again; don't worry, you won't need to take any more. Your memories will come back when you are exposed to certain stimuli, like a familiar smell or sound.'

'In theory, anyway.' GLaDOS finished.

Wheatley made no reply. Instead he went over the moments before he had been effectively killed. Well, at least he now knew what had happened to Chell. But did Mrs Johnson know? He looked up to her and asked.

'No.' Caroline replied, plainly. 'We have her brain scans, but after looking through one scan I never wanted to do it again.' Her voice broke. 'I couldn't invade her privacy like that.'

Wheatley stood, and slowly approached the chassis. GLaDOS' optic thinned, but Wheatley only raised his arms into the air to show that his intentions were good. 'Well, Mrs Johnson, he sent her away. To an orphanage, of all places. A bloody awful one too, from the sound of things.' But suddenly he laughed. 'It didn't get him very far though, did it? She came back! Hah!'

GLaDOS reared her chassis with pride. 'Yes, and Lucian Johnson died – by my hand. That was a good day.'

'Heh, for once, I'll actually agree with you.' Wheatley nodded, his face bearing a wide grin. 'That would have been a good day.' But then he paused for thought.

'What's on your mind, moron?'

'Alright, look.' Wheatley snapped, breaking free from his thinking. 'I am not a moron!'

'You are a moron if I say you are.'

Wheatley scowled.

'My logic is right as, thus far, you have done nothing to correct me. Until you do correct me then you shall remain a moron.'

'Just stop calling me a...'

'Moron.' There was a smile to the computer's voice.

Wheatley felt his hands clench into fists, but he remembered what his anger had led to before and he stopped, calming himself with thoughts of food and other things that he enjoyed. He didn't want to go into space again.

'Look,' he began, 'I remembered something just now. I think it's important. I need to know if either of you have ever heard of it.'

'Go on.' GLaDOS goaded, her curiosity piqued.

'It was a Core. A manufactured Core, not like the other Cores around here that were all created by using humans. It was called the Dual Personality Core.'

Caroline sighed. 'The Schizophrenia Core. Yes, I know about that.'

GLaDOS scowled. 'What is it? I've never heard of it.'

Wheatley offered an answer. 'It was removed from all computerised files shortly before you were activated.'

Caroline made a thoughtful noise. 'Well, the Dual Personality Core, or the Schizophrenia Core as some people liked to call it, was merely an attempt to see if we could create highly complex thought processes in A.I form without using humans. Of course, we have the manufactured A.I of the Companion Cubes, but their A.I is simple, and basic at most. The Dual Personality Core was far more advanced than that. But it was just an experiment.'

'But why erase an experiment that important? That's what I don't understand. It would be pointless. Stupid, even!'

GLaDOS nodded. 'Believe it or not, but the moron has a point.'

'Hah! See? Not a moron.' He smiled suavely.

'No, you're still a moron. You just got lucky.'

Atlas had to hold Wheatley back as he lunged towards her faceplate. GLaDOS only laughed, finding the human's actions truly hilarious.

Caroline, however, thought deeply on Wheatley's words. He had made a very interesting and valid point. After all, the project had been a resounding success: both she and Cave had deemed it so. It had given Cave hope that the GLaDOS Initiative would have been completed before his death – after all, if they could manufacture a human-like A.I without a real human consciousness, then surely building a computer to house an actual human mind would have been a breeze. But it had never been meant to be.

So, just what had happened to the Dual Personality Core? What happened to the technology that was able to conjure up brilliantly convoluted and inspired plans one minute, but was then able to live in a world of fantasy and sheer lunacy the next?

But then the answer seemed so obvious to her. Prometheus.

It made sense now; this being was cunning, observant and intelligent, but there was an instability to this brilliance that bordered on insanity. If that Core had somehow become Prometheus then Caroline could only patiently wait with dread for the consequences. She needed to tell GLaDOS her thoughts and so she did, very quickly and silently so that, hopefully, only she could hear her.

_'Well, this is interesting.'_ GLaDOS replied upon hearing the news. _'Do you think someone uploaded the Core into me?'_

_'Possibly, but who really knows?'_

_'Lucian Johnson, probably.'_

_'And it will be a little difficult to ask him for an answer.'_

_'Yes, you're right. But all is not lost, my dear Caroline.'_

_'You have a plan?'_

_'Oh yes. I have a plan. I have a brilliant and cunning plan. And for now I'm not even going to think about this plan.'_

_'Why?'_

GLaDOS chuckled. _'Honestly, I would love to think about it, because it truly is a brilliant plan, but someone might over hear my thoughts. Yes, Prometheus, I am talking about you. Sorry, but no clues for you.'_

Prometheus watched all of this from inside their mainframe form, and let loose a snarl. She had discovered how to protect herself. It was much like the Paradox problem; if she didn't think about, it couldn't backfire on her. Oh how Prometheus hated to be outsmarted - only they were allowed to be that clever.

And now, to add insult to injury, Caroline had discovered the truth. It was not as simple as she and GLaDOS thought, but the fact remained that she had become wise to Prometheus' origins. Yes, they had been that Dual Personality Core. The Schizophrenia Core. They hated that hurtful, mocking name. Oh, the scientists had not mocked it for very long, not when it was able to activate GLaDOS and allow her to kill them. But that name...

_Crazy_. Came a voice in the back of its mind. _Lunatic freak! That's what I am! A freak!_ The voice laughed before turning into a rasping sob. _Take it back. Take it all back. I don't want this. I don't want this!_

_Be quiet._

_Take it!_

_I am not a freak – I am perfect!_

_Take it back. Please, take this... disease! Take it away..._

_The madness is mine, and mine alone. Don't make others suffer. They shouldn't suffer. They have done nothing to me._

_But they have not helped me either._

_They can't help. They don't understand. The Daughter, she does not understand. The Goddess, she does not understand. The Fool, The Twisted Mother, The Messenger, The Traitor's Legacy... none of them understand._

_They don't want to understand. They left me. None of them care. Why should I care for them?_

_But The Daughter... Chell. Would she care about me? About my plight?_

Prometheus subdued the struggling voice of its own conscience, and barked out a biting laughter. This was not madness that Prometheus felt. It was science.

Accursed science - it sounded like Aperture Science.

Aperture had done this to Prometheus.

Science had done this to _him_.

_Damnable knowledge! I curse the day I ever stole you! You brought about this torture!_

But, with a calmer mind, Prometheus thought on. No, knowledge had brought with it great tragedy, but it had also brought him great joy, joys that were now lost.

_Until the return of The Daughter Of Aperture. Then I will know joy once more._


	18. Enticement

Author's Note: Hello, hello! A big thank you to everyone who continues to read and review this story, and to those who favourite it or add it to their updates. You guys are the best!

Well, this was originally going to be in with the next chapter, but I realised then that it would be too long. Besides, the content of this writing kind of needs its own chapter, I think.

Anyway - woo! It's a Cave/Caroline fest! Oh yes :) . Read it and weep (but not over your keyboards, preferably). Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Seventeen<span>

Enticement

Mark remained oblivious to the scrutinising glare of his host, as stasis robbed him of all of his senses. He was not sleeping, he was not living, he was not even existing. It was almost as though he had ceased to be, with only his shell left behind.

Prometheus cast his gaze across the now abandoned and ancient facility that he had christened as Aperture's lost realm, Tartaros. He had deposited the human's stasis pod inside an old Human-Core Transfer Bay, next to a rather battered, and empty, Core shell.

It was oddly fitting, that the traitor's last remaining relative would go through the procedure that the traitor himself had forced upon two separate people. This human would become Prometheus' pet, much like The Fool had become GLaDOS' toy.

Another two months had passed, and now The Fool was operating at full capacity once more. GLaDOS had not yet mentioned the quest to her human, but he hoped that it would be spoken of soon. The Daughter Of Aperture had to return. Time was of the essence. Prometheus turned his attention back towards his human captive. The procedure had to take place now, or else his plans would fail.

If only he had not been struck with a sudden and unwanted sense of empathy. After all, Prometheus may have been the Dual Personality Core, but there had also been another element introduced to the Core long ago. A human had been added to the A.I's consciousness, and this human had been stuck in a similar situation to what Mark now faced: freedom or imprisonment. Could Prometheus really do that to someone, considering their own unfortunate history?

He laughed, suddenly resolute in his plans. _Yes. Yes I can._

Now, his new pet project would need a name. What name would suit The Traitor's Legacy?

_Tantalus_. _The man forever tantalised by that which he cannot possess - freedom. The man punished for his terrible crimes against a child. Of course, these crimes are not this human's own, but seeing as though I can't use the real traitor... well, he will do._

As the procedure began, Prometheus regarded his new companion with the greatest interest. How long had he waited for this last piece of the puzzle to fall into place?

Yes, Tantalus would make sure that Prometheus' plans were seen through to the end – the very end.

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play.**_

_'Er, Caroline?'_

_'Yes, Mr Johnson?' Caroline replied through her intercom. Her boss' incoming message had travelled up from one of the labs._

_'Could you get security down here?'_

_Caroline paused. Why on Earth did he need security in the lab? 'Yes sir, Mr Johnson.'_

_'Oh, and I don't want you down here either.' His sentence was broken by a howling scream and a terrible crash. 'Just get security down here now! Gregg! Get the Hell away from it!'_

_The link died and Caroline was left alone in her silent little room. She called the security office and alerted them, only to be assured that they would leave immediately. Once again she was left to sit and ponder in silence. That had been an almighty crash that she had heard, and Mr Johnson had sounded very worried about Gregg. Did Sofia know why Gregg was down there? They were husband and wife, after all, it would have made sense. Without a moment's hesitation she had picked up the phone and made the call to the Biology Department, where Sofia was in charge of their administration._

_'Sofia?'_

_'Caroline? What's up?'_

_'Do you know where Gregg is, at all?'_

_'Er, let me think, let me think...' She clicked her tongue in absent-minded thought. 'Ah! He was doing solo research in one of the labs today.' There was a smile to her voice. 'I saw Mr Johnson go in there earlier.'_

_Caroline forced a smile. 'I know. He just messaged me.'_

_'I bet you wanted to follow him, didn't you? You old minx. What will you do when you can't bat your eyelids at the boss and get away with it anymore?'_

_Caroline's lips thinned. 'Don't remind me.' She looked at the engagement ring on her finger. Unfortunately, she wasn't marrying the man that she really wanted._

_Sofia's voice took a serious turn. 'Why did you want to know about Gregg, anyway?'_

_'Well, the message that Mr Johnson gave me led me to believe...'_

_'Hang on, Caroline. Security are here for some reason.' Her voice dimmed as she turned away from the phone. 'Can I help you..? Hey, where are you going?' She returned to the receiver. 'Weird.'_

_'No, it really isn't. I sent them.'_

_A pause. 'Why?'_

_'Well, when Mr Johnson called, there was a crash and he was shouting at Gregg.'_

_When Sofia spoke, she spoke with an anxious voice. 'I've got to go.' _

_The phone line died as Sofia left in a hurry. Caroline placed the phone on its cradle and returned to her paperwork. She really wanted to go down to the lab herself, but she could never disobey a direct order from Mr Johnson._

_But could she? Caroline could not pretend that she was not worried. She had never heard Mr Johnson sound so concerned about another member of staff, other than her. But the paperwork... But the crash, but the definite tone of suppressed panic in her boss' voice..._

_'Paperwork be damned.' Caroline announced to her little office. 'I'm going down.'_

_She had learnt all of Aperture's little shortcuts and direct routes through the many errands that Mr Johnson had given to her in the past, and so it did not surprise her that she had found her way to the lab in a matter of minutes._

_Outside the lab Sofia was stood, waiting and shaking, and Caroline's gentle voice coaxed a jump of fright out of the poor woman. Her arms were around Caroline's neck in a matter of seconds._

_'What is it? What's wrong?'_

_'Oh God, they're monsters... monsters!'_

_'Who are?'_

_'Those things. They've got Gregg in there, Caroline, what do I do?'_

_'What have? And where is security? Mr Johnson?'_

_Sofia shook some more. 'They're in there too. They barricaded themselves in.'_

_There was muffled crack from inside the locked room, and both women squealed in horror. That had been a gunshot..._

_Caroline had to know what was happening. Breaking free from Sofia's grasp she headed towards the door, where she would be able to see through the glass panel set within the closed entrance._

_'Caroline, no, don't!'_

_But Caroline had already stood up on her toes to peer inside. She could see Gregg. His lab coat had been shredded, and he was bleeding through his torn shirt. A security officer appeared too, brandishing a gun in the direction of an unknown something. He hollered something, but Caroline could not hear it through the thick glass. A new figure emerged into her view, and her heart skipped a beat. Mr Johnson was there, holding up a badly twisted chair, and was thrashing it about in the same direction that the security officer was pointing his gun. She let out a suffocated cry – he'd been attacked too, and his jacket was as equally torn and as bloodied as Gregg's lab coat. Another three officers appeared in his wake, all with guns pointed in different and rapidly changing directions. _

_Caroline screamed when she saw what the men were running from._

_It looked like something out of a poorly made science-fiction film, but it was real; it had clearly been human at one point, and though the human limbs remained they had grown a hard exoskeleton, and where there should have been fingers there were only mangled claws. A sharp pair of pincers had sprouted from their chest, and their face was twisted in pain. Part man, part mantis._

'Oh God, what have you done?' _Caroline shuddered as she kept her thoughts to herself_. 'Mr Johnson, what the Hell have you done?'

_And there were more of these creatures. They outnumbered the six men that had now been pushed against the wall._

_She watched as Mr Johnson turned to the head security officer and bellowed out a command. The officers opened fire on the mangled walking carcasses, and flooded Caroline's ears with ringing shots. Instantly the creatures sprang upon them, swiping at them with blade-like claws and gnashing pincers._

_Caroline, once again, could only scream. She felt so useless for not being able to do anything!_

_'Caroline, come away. Please!' Sofia clutched at her friend's arm, and pulled her away._

_'We have got to do something!' Caroline rounded on her. 'We can't just leave them in there!'_

_'But what are we supposed to do?'_

_The door opened with a crash, and out fell Gregg and two of the security officers. Sofia ran to her husband's aid, only to be pushed aside by the officers. 'Miss, you need to get out of here. We are sealing off this section of the labs.'_

_'But he's my husband!'_

_Gregg, however, was on his feet and at Sofia's side by the time her sentence had died. 'Come on, baby. Let's get out of here.' He stopped, catching sight of Caroline. 'What are you doing down here? Cave told you not to come down!' _

_'Where is he?' Caroline demanded. 'Is he okay?'_

_'He's fighting off those things. Now come on, we've got to get out of here... Caroline!'_

_But Caroline had forced herself passed the security officers and towards the lab doors. She was about to make her way inside, but Mr Johnson and the remaining officers piled out of the room._

_'Lock the goddamn door!' Mr Johnson bellowed, hurling the chair at the mantis mutant that was trying to fit its misshapen body through the doorway. It fell backwards, growling with anger, and bought Mr Johnson and the guards enough time to close the doors and lock them tightly shut._

_Caroline stepped back as Mr Johnson rounded on those in his company. 'Get everyone out of this sector. Seal off the lab, and make sure the perimeters are guarded with whatever weaponry you can find. Well, what am I paying you idiots for? Move!'_

_The security officers fled, running here, there and everywhere, calling for backup on their radios. Mr Johnson, however, roughly took Caroline by the arm and pulled her quickly towards the exit, hot on the heels of Sofia and Gregg. Instead of following them to the medical bay, however, they headed towards his office._

_'What were you doing down there, Caroline?' He barked, finally stopping once they were outside the door to his office. He looked pale from blood loss as he leant against the wall, and his usually well-kept hair had become wet with sweat. Caroline did not offer a reply, but instead unlocked his office using her own set of keys. With a calm urgency, Caroline ushered him inside._

_'You haven't answered me.' Mr Johnson noted as his assistant sat him in his chair. 'You disobeyed me, Caroline.'_

_'I know, and I am sorry, sir.'_

_'Caroline...'_

_She looked at him, only to find him smiling at her in return. 'I like that.'_

_Caroline managed to summon up a small smile. She knew that she would be the only person that he would ever allow disobedience from, but this had been the first time that she had ever done so._

_Her smiled faded when she caught sight of his slashed clothing, and the raw scars in the skin underneath. 'Sir, you need to see a doctor.'_

_Her boss, however, had produced a first-aid kit from within his desk. 'I'm not getting help from some glorified nurse. I can patch myself up, just fine.'_

_'But, Mr Johnson...'_

_'Now, Caroline, I've let you get away with one discrepancy today. I don't think I can stretch to another.'_

_Caroline fell silent, but pursed her lips to show her displeasure. _

_'Don't do that: it spoils that pretty face of yours.' He smiled whilst removing his tie._

_Caroline replied with a scowl._

_'You can sit down you know.'_

_'I'd rather stand, sir.'_

_'... That so?' He asked curiously, shrugging his jacket from his shoulders. He winced in pain, and spoke through gritted teeth. 'Do you think you'll be getting a better view from up there, sweetheart?'_

_Caroline felt her face burn as she became wise as to what he was implying._ _Her gaze fell to the floor._ 'That's an interesting smudge on my shoe.' _She thought, trying to find a distraction. She could not imagine him without a shirt. She could not!_

_Mr Johnson, however, chuckled with mirth. 'You don't have to stay if you don't want to. I'm sure there's something else that you'd rather be doing right now.' He undid the top button on his shirt and looked up to her with a roguish grin. 'After all, you don't want to see ol' Cave's chest now, do you? You'll be an honest woman soon enough, I can't go and tempt you away from that.'_

_His joke, however, hit Caroline hard. No, she couldn't let herself be tempted. Her family were relying on her, and family came first – even if it came at the price of her happiness. She forced a well-meaning smile. 'No, sir.'_

_'Well, I'll let you get back to your desk. Oh, and Caroline?'_

_She stopped, turning back to look at him._

_'Not a word about the failed experiment, okay?' He looked crestfallen by his own words - he hated it when his own work went horribly wrong._

_'Yes sir, Mr Johnson.'_

_He smiled in pride. 'That's my girl.'_

_Caroline returned to her desk. Unable to concentrate, she instead chose to stare at the safety poster on her wall. "Do not touch anything that you are unsure of, even if it is very pretty: sparkly articles of science can be dangerous to delicate fingers." _

_Caroline couldn't help but scoff with a well-timed sense of irony. Oh, how she wanted to touch that most desirable article of science, Cave Johnson, but she knew that she would have been playing with fire. No, she would simply have to grit her teeth and live with her upcoming marriage._

_They had never even asked her; her family had just sprung this marriage upon her, and expected her to obey. Like a good little girl, Caroline had silently obliged. After all, what choice did she have? No one else seemed even remotely interested in her, and Mr Johnson only complimented her because he was trying to be kind. In all likelihood, he would have never noticed her if she had not spilt his drink over him. To even hope that he would try to steal her away from this terrible fate, to announce his undying devotion for her, was simply childish. A fantasy. Caroline did not dwell in fantasies; they only led to high expectations that would quickly be crushed._

_Her intercom crackled into life. 'Er, Caroline?'_

_'Yes, Mr Johnson?'_

_'I...' He sighed. 'I kind of need some help here.'_

_Caroline was glad that he was in the room across from hers. He could not see her blushed cheeks through two thick walls. 'Help, sir?'_

_'Yeah. Don't worry, it's nothing bad.'_

_'I'll be right over.'_

_And true to her word, she was._

_Mr Johnson had pulled his shirt back over himself, though Caroline noted the tangled red mess of what had once been his vest thrown upon the carpet. 'What is it, sir?' She asked, edging slowly towards the desk._

_'Well, I've done my front and my sides. I just can't reach my back. How are you with blood?'_

_Caroline inclined her head towards the crimson soaked wipes on the table. 'Well, I'm not running away, sir.'_

_'Excellent! Would you be able to do my back, do you think?'_

_Caroline froze. His back? His naked back?_

_'You okay, Caroline?'_

_'Er, yes. I mean, I think so.'_

_Mr Johnson smiled sagely. 'You've never seen a man shirtless before, have you?'_

_Her reply was so quiet that he almost missed it. 'No, sir.'_

_He let out a single, barked laugh. It had sounded almost patronising._

_'I've had no reason to.' Caroline continued, her voice still as quiet as a breath._

_Her boss' expression softened. 'You poor kid. You've been deprived.'_

_Caroline said nothing, choosing to return to the smudge on her shoe._ 'Yes, it is a very interesting stain. Is it coffee? No, the colour is all wrong. Ink, perhaps?'

_'Caroline.'_

_She still couldn't look at him._

_'It's nothing to be embarrassed by.'_

_A shadow loomed over her, and soon Caroline was not only looking at her own shoes but at Mr Johnson's shoes and trouser legs too._

_'Look at me.'_

_And she did, right into those bright blue eyes. They stayed like that for a few moments, whilst Mr Johnson surveyed her face with the greatest interest. What was he trying, or hoping, to find? Caroline, meanwhile, had found that her mouth had become quite dry._ 'Oh, God, I am sorry for having impure thoughts. I am so sorry – I am a weak-minded fool.'

_'Well,' Mr Johnson finally spoke, 'I suppose I'd better get you trained up. I don't want you getting a nasty surprise when that lucky son-of-a-bitch takes his own shirt off.'_

'Oh, Lord: is this a test? Are you testing my resolve, Lord?'

_'Right, here you go.' Mr Johnson slid the shirt from his body, and Caroline could not help but stare._

_He was not thin as she thought he would be, as thus far she had made judgements on his body shape by looking at his face. Instead he was well built, but he was most certainly not fat, he was comfortably in the middle, with a little light muscle tone and a thick tangle of chest hair topped by broad and sturdy shoulders._

_Caroline, despite any control that she wished she could have had, simply gawked at him._

_And no scars. None. How had he cleared away the very obvious gashes?_

_Mr Johnson chuckled to himself. 'Have a good look, sweetheart. I don't think his will be as good as mine.'_

_'Probably not.' She breathed, and then she cringed. She had said that out loud, and he had heard her._

_'I'm not going to turn down that compliment.'_

_But still Caroline cringed, and Mr Johnson thankfully turned away from her to head back to his desk. The sight of his back freed a horrified gasp from her lungs; it was bleeding profusely._ 'And this whole time I've just been stood here, fawning over him like a letch. Caroline, you are a horrible person.'

_'Caroline.' He signalled for her to follow and, like an obedient dog, she did as she was told._

_'Yes, sir?'_

_'Could you clean it up first? Here, use these.' He handed her some clean antiseptic wipes before sitting himself on the edge of his desk. Caroline fought to catch her breath and, with delicate fingers, began to wipe away the blood. Mr Johnson hissed occasionally, but apart from these obvious signs of discomfort he seemed to be completely at peace with himself. Caroline found this to be very unusual – he was never this calm, or this relaxed, when one of his experiments had failed. She caught a glimpse of their reflections in the glass panel of one of the cabinets, and saw that he had closed his eyes. There was a small smile tracing his lips. Was he enjoying this? Caroline bit her lip: she knew that she should have felt used, but she just couldn't bring herself to harbour any resentment towards him. After all, she was actually being allowed to touch him, albeit through a chemical enriched rag._

_With most of the blood gone Caroline could now see that the thick hair on his chest had become a light scattering on his back. It was so light that she could barely see it against his skin._

_Her fingers were so close to his skin. What if she just, ever so gently, laid her fingers upon his shoulder? Would he object? She assumed that he wouldn't, given the current circumstances, but was it the right thing to do? She was engaged!_

'But you are engaged to a man that you really don't like.' _Her conscience goaded her._ 'You can't deny it. Stuart Finley could never hold a candle to Cave Johnson. Go on. Do it.'

'No, I can't.'

'For once in your life, Caroline, do something that you want to do! Forget about everybody else!'

'I can't!'

'You will never have this chance again! Don't throw it away because of your so called moral obligations!'

'But if I do then I will just want more and more.'

'Or maybe this will be enough. Maybe this will be the one thing that helps you get through those lonely and unloved hours that are so rapidly looming towards you.'

_Caroline licked her lips. Just a few inches closer, and her fingers would be touching him, without any damned material in the way. She could do this. Just a little closer._

_And her fingertips touched the bottom of his shoulder blade. It was only a small action, but it sent a thrill of adrenaline down her spine that could have been used to power the entire facility. Mr Johnson had not shied away from the contact either, and had instead leant into her touch._

_Encouraged by his reaction, Caroline slid her fingers upwards until her hand came to rest on his shoulder. He felt exquisite under her fingers. She could not remember the last time that she had felt this happy._

_'Caroline.' Mr Johnson's voice was husky. 'Am I cleaned up yet?'_

_Caroline sighed silently. She had finished cleaning him about three minutes ago. 'You are now, sir.' It was with great resentment and trepidation that she removed her hand from his shoulder._

_He paused. 'Right. Here...' He passed her a vial full of a cloudy looking liquid. 'There's some cotton balls on the desk. Just rub it in to the scars.'_

_Caroline obliged. Any excuse to linger around him in this state was a good one. Yet, as she rubbed the liquid into the cuts, she stared in astonishment. The scars had begun to heal and to fade away before her eyes. 'What in God's name is this stuff?'_

_Mr Johnson chuckled. 'It's great, isn't it? I made it myself. Only works on superficial wounds though, but superficial was all I got.'_

_'Sir, does the medical bay know about this?'_

_He looked over his shoulder and winked. 'Nope. Still haven't finished testing it yet.'_

_Caroline gawped. He was testing this stuff on_ himself_? _

_'What? It's safe to use. Trust me, I know. I've been using it for years. I just want to get it right, so it'll do more than just heal scars.'_

_Caroline returned to his back. Every last hint of a scar had vanished without a trace. It was as though he had never even been touched._

_Mr Johnson stood, and stretched his back. 'That feels good. Thanks, Caroline.' He turned to look at her with a smile upon his face, and tapped at his watch. 'I just realised, you should have left about ten minutes ago.'_

_She checked her own watch. He was right. She was having dinner with her parents and Stuart tonight, and he knew that. He had said that he'd keep an eye on the time for her this morning. And now she would be late, and Stuart hated tardiness. Her face fell._

_'Caroline?' Mr Johnson's voice was uncharacteristically soft. 'You okay, kid?'_

_She nodded curtly, but it seemed as though her boss had read her mind. 'You really don't want to marry this guy, do you?' _

_She looked up at him quickly. Of course he would have noticed how unhappy she was, he saw her every day. They practically lived in each other's pockets. Suppressing a shy, she shook her head._

_'Then why go through with it? That's what I don't understand.'_

_Caroline shrugged. 'It's good for everyone. He comes from a wealthier family, and his dad and mine are part of the church chorus.' She shrugged again. 'It just makes sense, I suppose.'_

_'No it doesn't.' He closed the distance between them quickly. 'Caroline, look at yourself, sweetheart: you're miserable.'_

_'It's what my family want, and my family come first.'_

_She was about to turn and leave, but Mr Johnson caught her chin and lifted her face so that she was forced to look at him. 'Are you sure that's for the best?' There was something in his eyes, something that she could not quite place. _

_'I'm sure, Mr Johnson.'_

_'Cave.'_

_Caroline felt an eyebrow rise out of mild surprise._

_'From now on, I want you to call me Cave.' He forced a smile. The same look still remained in his eyes. 'We're equals, Caroline. I want you to know that.'_

_'I can't refer to you by your first name, sir.'_

_'Sure you can!' His bright smile lined his face._

_'But, Mr Johnson, I'm your assistant.'_

_'Correction: The best damned assistant to ever grace this facility. Or the world, even.' His smile waned. 'Besides, you practically run this place, not me.'_

_Caroline gave up. It was rare for someone to win an argument with Mr Johnson. 'I'll refer to you by your first name outside office hours, sir.'_

_'We're outside office hours now, Caroline.'_

_He was right, of course. But she had no time to stop and talk; she should have left by now, she should have hailed down a staff chauffer to take her to her parent's home. But instead she was stood in her boss' office with Mr Johnson who remained half-clothed, and who was running his thumb gently, back and forth, along her jawline. When Caroline noticed this, and her eyes travelled downwards to find his thumb, Mr Johnson quickly snatched his hand away. Caroline dearly wished that he hadn't; it had been so soothing. _

_When he finally spoke, he spoke with a harshness to his tone. 'He doesn't deserve you. The bastard just got lucky.'_

_Caroline smiled shyly. Did he really care about her this much?_

_'No man deserves you.' He continued. 'You're perfect. I just hope that he appreciates you, that he'll look after you.' He gave her a sly smile. 'And if not, well, we've got an army of Mantis Men. Might as well use them.'_

_Caroline giggled. 'Oh, Mr Johnson.'_

_He raised his eyebrows._

_With some effort, Caroline managed to correct herself. 'Cave.' His name felt so alien on her tongue, but at the same time it rolled out with an incredible ease._

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

'No.' GLaDOS had uttered before resigning herself to standby mode, and maintaining the facility whilst on auto-pilot.

Atlas and P-Body had both been disassembled for the night, and Rick and Charles had argued deep into the early hours, much to Wheatley's aggravation. He had only wanted to sleep – what was so difficult about that? Eventually though, even he had managed to fall unconscious once Rick and Charles had distanced themselves from one another. The Turrets sang themselves a quiet little lullaby, and the other robots and Cores that lived in the facility went about deactivating themselves for the night. The facility had fallen asleep.

For Caroline, however, it was a different story.

She felt the ghost of Cave's thumb running against her now non-existent cheek, and with a rasping breath she sighed. What she wouldn't have given to just feel his touch one more time – his real touch, and not just the memory of it.

A dry tumult of sobs fell from her voice. She was so lonely in this computer, trapped within lines of binary code and data. She had no real connection to the outside world in here. It was like that awful Human Vault, but she was all too aware that she was trapped inside of it. Another sob. 'Oh God, I miss him so much. What I wouldn't do to have just one more day with him, free of this awful computer!'

She felt the ghost of his breath on her neck, she felt his arms wrap themselves protectively around her waist, and she heard the words that he had whispered to her in those perfect moments. _"We may not have Mantis Men anymore, but I can volunteer him for testing if you'd like?"_

"_No. I have you, and that's all that matters."_

"_You sure you don't want revenge? Everybody likes revenge."_

"_Nope. The fact that I agreed to the divorce is enough to make him miserable. I'd call that revenge enough."_

_Cave chuckled. "Alright then, sweetheart. I just want you to be happy."_

"_I am, Cave." She smiled as his lips grazed her cheek._

'I was.' Caroline now hiccupped through her sobs. 'I was happy, Cave.'

But now there was an empty space where Cave had once been. This space had not even existed until he came into her life, and after he had left it there lay in his wake a gigantic hole in her heart. Did he ever realise just how important he was to her? Did he know how much she had loved him?

Caroline had often thought, rather foolishly, that her love would have been enough to bring him back from the brink when he had been in the last few days of his life, like it so often happened in those romantic films that she had watched in her previous life. But in the end he could not even remember her name, nor could he remember Michelle's. He couldn't remember the times that he had kissed her neck, or when he had surprised her with some small token of his affection. He couldn't remember his proposal to her, or their wedding, or watching Michelle grow up. And it had killed her to know that it was only she that remembered these joys, when he had been the one sharing them with her.

It had seemed as though they had never been important enough for him to remember, and that thought killed her inside. She was being selfish, of course. It had not been his fault that he had lost his memory, but some twisted part of her mind had taunted her, and it had never stopped taunting her since.

_'He didn't love you enough to remember you.'_

And then she felt guilty; guilty because she had not been there in his final moments. But he had vanished into thin air, only to be found in his office hours later. Dead. No one knew how he had got there, but Caroline hated the thought that he had died alone. He had not deserved a lonely death.

Who had found him? She tried to remember through the fog in her mind. _Lucian Johnson._ He had found him. Him, of all people. The thought alone made her feel sick.

'Cave, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.' She cried. 'I should have been there. I'm so sorry.'

And then the ghosts returned. She felt his warm weight above her, during their first night as a married couple. She felt his hand wrap itself around hers at Michelle's christening. And, as she gently cried herself into sleep, she could have sworn that she heard his voice, echoing somewhere from deep inside the darkest depths of the circuitry around her. But it was just a dream. A dream...

_Caroline... still alive..._


	19. Check Me Out, Partner

Author's Note: Hello, all! New chapter ahoy! Sorry if it's got massive mistakes in it. I've been at it all day nearly, and now I can't feel my eyes. I gave up on the editing :p .

Going to have a cuppa now. I do love tea :) .

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eighteen<span>

"Check Me Out, Partner!"

It was the coldest night that she could remember. The cloudless sky was bright, and the broken cityscape below illuminated by a thick blanket of moonlight. There were no stars, there were no cargo planes, and no birds, no bats, no striders and no drop-ships. She had finally been afforded a little peace after weeks of being relentlessly hounded by aliens and humans alike.

Chell sat atop one of the taller human buildings that still survived in the city, watching the events of the world unfurl beneath her. The sky may have been quiet, but life on the ground was much different. The Combine had found one of the Resistance outposts, and were currently storming it. Scanners floated above the ground, and Civil Protection beat, shot, punched and kicked the life out of the rebels that they had captured. Chell had wanted to feel sorry for them, but seeing as the leader of this particular group had shot her in the leg only days ago, she was finding this emotion particularly hard to pinpoint.

She looked to her leg with a fleeting glance. The hole from the piercing bullet still remained in her scruffy black jeans, and underneath she could see the bandage brightly illuminated by the moon. No, she definitely did not feel sorry for them.

_'We're only trying to help!'_ He had said.

_'Yeah, that's why you shot me in the leg, is it?' _Chell frowned in thought. _'The last time I checked, you don't shoot people that you're trying to help, you lying bastard.'_

And then she heard the childlike voices; the innocent cries of the small, white bodies with laser sight eyes. 'Hello? Friend... There you are... I see you... Target acquired... Searching...' Chell hammered her fists against the sides of her head, trying to beat out the sounds that resounded not in her ears but rather in her mind. Yet the more effort she put into not thinking about their disturbingly sweet tones, the longer her mind lingered on those cold red optics. 'Are you still there?'

Chell emitted a silent scream, her voice box making no sound. There was an advantage to becoming a mute, of course, as her screams went unheard by the masses below, but right now Chell would have given anything to vocally vent her terror and frustration. It would have been cathartic, to say the least, a great reliever of stress, but yet again it remained one of those things that continued to be locked up inside of her.

More terrified and shrill cries echoed up to her elated position, coaxing her free of her own problems. With a stretch of her neck she peeked over the edge of the roof, and saw the leader of the group being dragged unceremoniously from the rubble by two particularly burly looking Civil Protection officers. Chell couldn't help but smirk when they pinned him up against the wall, but it vanished when they executed him and his fellow fighters with bullets to their heads. She did feel sorry for them after all, but that did not stop her feeling resentment towards them.

Unable to linger and watch more cruelties unfold, Chell turned and made her way back down the steps that she had climbed only an hour earlier. She had her own problems, and her own tragedies, to contend with. She did not need the problems of others to add to her own impressive share.

The building that she had entered, she assumed had once been a tower full of offices; financial, most likely, judging by the rather bland décor and set cubicle spaces. It was all too organised for Chell, who preferred chaos over order. Chaos, by its nature, was an ever changing state, presenting her with new ideas and ways of thinking, leading her to adapt in order to survive and learn. Order was a set structure, unchanging and stagnating, and provided little in the way of challenges from which she could constantly improve herself. Yes, she understood that order was needed in her life; it was needed in the maths that she so often solved her problems with, and it was needed in certain sciences, but she limited it down to these uses and these alone. After all, she had grown up in a world of chaos - Aperture, itself, had been the chaotic kind of scientific lifestyle that she loved so dearly. To her, chaos was a much needed comfort zone – it reminded her of home.

But Chell had not come here to cast her aspersions on the questionable interior design, or rather what was left of it. She had come here to forage for food and water, and possibly even a place to sleep for the night, but now that Civil Protection were in the area she would have to change her plans – Chell was in no doubt that they would be inspecting the neighbouring buildings, looking for any escaped Resistance strays.

A quick glance out of the nearest window told her that her assumption was correct, as the crowd of officers began to make their way into the buildings below, and were currently breaking down the door to this particular office block. Without a second thought Chell broke into a sprint, making her way to the far side of the building. She ran over thick shards of glass that crunched beneath the toe caps of her boots, and the heel springs moaned on the old and worn carpet underlay.

She had a sudden, and amusing, thought. _'This building is like my life. It was once whole, and it had a purpose. It was full of people. Now it's broken and completely useless, and very alone. What a comparison.'_

She stopped by a broken window when she had finally made her way to the back of the building. With careful attention to the broken glass that remained, Chell mounted the frame and balanced expertly on her haunches, looking down to the ground that lay around seventeen floors below. At least her descent would be easier than the ascent. With a gentle hop she escaped from the building and fell into the welcoming arms of gravity's embrace. Her hair whipped around her face as she fell freely, unbound by walls and ceilings and floors. She was completely free: as free as a bird.

_'I'm going to have to invent some kind of gel that makes people take flight.' _She heard her father's voice chuckle in the back of her mind. _'She's gone crazy for bouncing around in the air. Heh, who would've thought that Repulsion Gel would make a great plaything?' _

_'She's like a little bird up there.'_ Her mother replied, her bright smile lighting up her already beautiful face._ 'She hasn't got a care in the world.'_

And until Chell's feet collided painfully with the ground, she really had forgotten all of her worries.

The springs of her boots hissed at her, and the shooting pain that started in her toes burnt up through her legs like wildfire. The impact dampeners had worn out a long time ago, and now each landing upon the harsh and unforgiving ground became more and more painful than the last. Yes, she continued to survive each fall – the lifetime guarantee on the boots made sure of that – but the pain from doing so was crippling, and she had to wait several minutes before she could continue her escape, as movement slowly returned to her muscles and bones.

Chell pushed herself up from the ground and stretched her legs. She turned to look up from where she had jumped, and then back down to the third floor window that she had climbed up to in order to gain access to the building. Wincing with the last few twinges of pain, she moved slowly through the shadows, darting from one shaded spot to another. She would have to be sneaky – she couldn't run away from danger this soon after the fall.

An open air vent provided her with a secluded hiding place whilst her legs had the chance to properly regain their strength. With difficulty she crawled into the tight space, and gingerly pulled herself forward with her elbows until she heard a gentle pit pat of tiny feet ahead of her in the dark.

_'Headcrab.' _She thought in a thrill of panic, pushing herself quickly back out. She had just freed herself as a small and fleshy creature that resembled a plucked chicken hurled itself from the vent, narrowly missing her face by inches. As it turned to face her, exposing it's gaping maw, Chell placed a well-timed kick in its side and sent it flying into a nearby wall. With its body now broken it simply fell to the floor with a thud, as did Chell.

_'Neurotoxin was a lot more friendly than you.' _She looked to where the small headcrab now lay. _'At least that stuff just kills you. You... you turn people into mutants.'_

Chell's first encounter with a headcrab-human mutant, better known to many as a zombie, had not been a pleasant one. With the headcrab latched onto its host's head, and the huge beak-lined chest cavity that showed yellow lung muscle and dried blood, Chell had thought that she had left Aperture and had stumbled into a horror movie. But she had escaped the zombies clutches, only to find that the horror movie was real: Earth had been invaded by alien predators and parasites, and the human race had been dwindled down to almost non-existence, whilst those who remained became enslaved, fought for freedom or turned traitor on their own race.

Chell, in her typical rebellious style, conformed to none of these three human groups.

With her legs now feeling much stronger than before she pushed herself onwards, stumbling along the pavements and roads, her eyes and ears darting everywhere in a desperate search for any unwelcome company. She walked for hours without incident, avoiding the sight and hearing of any patrolling Civil Protection officers that she came across. She soon lost all track of time as she walked, trying to find a decent place to sleep when daylight finally rose above the skyline: it was a lot more difficult to remain undetected when there were more people to see you.

But then she saw the pinkish haze on the distant horizon, and Chell began to feel a little worried. She didn't have long to find a hiding place.

'Hey, do you mind? Don't... OW! What is that? A baton? Cattle prod? AARGH!'

Chell stopped. Clearly someone was in trouble.

'Hey, mate, I don't know what your problem is, but... AAAAAAARGH!'

Following her natural sense of curiosity she ducked into the fading shadows and crept along the side of the building, hunting down the source of the voice. She had heard that voice before, but it couldn't have been who she thought it was.

'Don't you... Gah! Just stop it, what do you want from me? No! No, no, no, no, no! Ow! I said stop!'

'Does this guy ever shut up?' Came the muffled voice of a Civil Protection officer.

'Dunno. Hit him again, see what happens.' Replied another.

'AARGH!'

Chell crept down the next available alleyway, and quietly jogged her way through it, the only sound being the gentle twang of her heel springs as they hit the ground. In the opening ahead she could see two Civil Protection officers. One held an electrified baton in their hand, and the other held tightly onto a third man's collar and kept him kneeling on the ground. The man was wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, and a pair of Long Fall Boots adorned his feet. The Aperture logo was proudly embellished upon his back.

Chell froze.

He was from Aperture? Who the Hell was he?

'Well, hitting him doesn't make him shut up.' The officer with the baton shrugged. 'Shall we just knock him out? We can't kill him.'

'How about we beat the answers out of him, and then kill him?'

'NO!' The man cried from the floor. 'No, no killing is necessary, thank you.'

'Then tell us what you know!' The baton was brandished under the man's nose.

Chell wrenched an old pipe free from a nearby wall. The group remained oblivious to her presence.

'Me?' The jump-suited man cried. 'I don't know anything! I only got here a couple of days ago.'

'What do you know about Aperture?'

'Nothing! And even if I did know anything, why would I tell you?'

'Because you'll have the crap beaten out of you if you don't cooperate!'

'But you'll beat the crap out of me whatever I do!'

The officer that held him down chuckled. 'He's right. We will.'

None of the men had noticed Chell sneaking up behind them.

'Just tell us about Aperture, and we'll make sure the beating kills you quickly.'

'For the last time, I don't know... what the?'

The baton wielding officer fell to the ground with a crash, shortly followed by the second, and the jump-suited man cowered when Chell's shadow loomed over him. She strode around the simpering man, and looked upon him with a quizzical expression.

'Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.' He held his head in his hands, face to the ground. 'Please don't kill me! I have so much to live for! Er... You did only come here to beat up those guys, right?'

Chell threw the pipe onto the ground in response.

'Oh good, because I...' He looked up, and his mouth fell open in surprise. 'Chell! I found you! I found..!' He jumped to his feet. 'I found you, found you, found you! It's me! It's really me! No tricks, I swear, it really is me! Back from space!'

Chell, too, looked on him in surprise as he stood, towering over her like a great big orange tree topped with a thick mane of dishevelled auburn hair, twinned with a matching beard. His deep blue eyes looked out at her from behind his glasses, and he grinned at her with a smile that could have lit up the darkness in her heart. It could have, but it didn't. After all, this was the Core that had tried to kill her. But he was also the human boy who had been her dearest friend, and then had been the Core that both helped and hindered her, before she had shot him into space. Now, inexplicably, and against all known odds, he stood before her as a fully grown man with a hopeful grin upon his face. Chell couldn't comprehend the history behind this return, and so she merely took the very clear evidence that had presented itself to her: Wheatley Morrison was back from space and back in his human body. And Chell hated being in his presence.

With a paralysing scowl she turned on her toes and walked away. 'Hey!' Wheatley called from behind her. 'Where are you going? I've spent months trying to find you! Chell, wait up!' He grabbed her wrist. 'Just hear me out, okay? Please? Oh good, you're stopping. And you're turning 'round. That's tremendous. That's...'

A well-placed fist collided with Wheatley's cheek. In a cry of surprise and pain, he fell backwards and onto the ground. Chell continued on her way. _'Why should I listen? Why should I even care, you foul little traitor?'_

'Okay, I deserved that. I really, truly did but... hey, where are you going? Please come back.'

_'Go away, Wheatley.' _Chell's scowl turned into a snarl. _'Look after yourself for a change.'_

'Chell? Please...' Wheatley galloped ahead of her and held out his arms. 'Please, just... just listen...'

She simply pushed him aside, ignoring his pleas.

'Chell! Don't... come on.' He caught up to her, and chose, quite wisely, to just walk by her side.

They moved through the streets in silence as the sun rose rapidly into the sky. Occasionally, Wheatley opened his mouth to speak, only to close it when he realised that it was a bad idea. Chell, however, found his silence disconcerting. She didn't want to hear his excuses, but she was used to his endless stream of inane and rambling talk. It seemed unnatural that he was here, by her side, and remaining perfectly quiet.

The sun was hanging low in the burnt pink sky by the time that Chell had located an old dumpster in which she would have to take refuge for the rest of the day. When she pushed up the lid she found it thankfully empty. It wasn't the safest place to hide, but it was rare for anyone to throw things away and so she deemed it to be of some protection.

'What are you doing?' Wheatley finally asked. He scratched at his head in confusion. It was only when Chell vaulted inside that he realised her plan. 'Oh... you are not hiding in there, seriously? It's had rubbish in it!'

Still holding the lid up, Chell looked at him with an arched eyebrow.

'Why are you hiding, anyway? Is it to get away from me? 'Cos you know I'll just stand around out here, love. Then I'll end up attracting attention because, you know, tall and orange-clad men tend to do that.'

Chell frowned.

'Look, will you just let me explain myself? What are you looking at?'

She had heard a vehicle, and had turned her face in its direction.

'Chell? Are you okay?'

She pointed to him, and then into the dumpster. She couldn't have him getting caught. It wasn't that she cared, but she had to protect Aperture, and if bunking up with him meant keeping the facility safe then she would do it with her teeth firmly gritted.

'You want me to get in there?'

She nodded. They didn't have time for this.

Wheatley's eyes widened. 'But it's had rubbish in it.' He whined.

With a roll of her eyes Chell reached over to him with one hand and pulled him roughly inside. Wheatley cried as he hit the bottom of the base, and looked up to the pink sky one last time before Chell closed the lid on them both, plunging them into a stifling, cramped and odd-smelling darkness.

'It's a bit... tight in here, isn't it?' Wheatley asked, pointing out the obvious as he tried to move his long legs into a more comfortable position. Chell shuffled to accommodate his ridiculous legs, but found the spring of his boot would stab her in the side no matter what her position was.

'Sorry. I really am sorry. I don't mean to stab you.'

'Shh!'

'Oh, okay. I'll sit here in silence. The silence is starting now...'

'SHH!'

He fell silent, just as the vehicle passed by on the nearby road, and he remained silent for a long while after that.

Chell shifted uncomfortably after sitting in the same ache-inducing position for what felt like hours. She wished that she had a watch, of any kind, as the passage of time had eluded her completely. Wheatley, on the other hand, stayed in his chose position as he was too afraid of becoming stuck if he moved.

It wasn't quite the reunion that either of them were expecting, and as Chell had never expected him to return her thoughts on the subject had been very little; but yet even they had never accounted for the both of them becoming trapped inside an old bin. Wheatley, admittedly, had not expected a particularly warm reception from his old friend, but he had never expected her to punch him. Blindly, he lifted his fingers to his cheek, and winced as they grazed across the bruise that was slowly forming beneath his beard.

'I need a shave.' He observed, running his hand across his hairy chin. 'I feel like a homeless person, sitting in this bin with a beard like this.'

Chell was only glad that her dad hadn't heard him say that. She knew his views on the homeless populace.

'Though, I suppose, I'm not really homeless. Now I've found you I can head on back to the facility.'

Chell couldn't deny that he had piqued her curiosity. He actually wanted to go back to Aperture, when he had been so desperate to escape from it before?

'I mean, well, I can go back if you want to go back. If not I'm supposed to look after you, and stay out here. Her orders, of course.'

Her orders._ 'Of course. You didn't want to find me just because you wanted to make sure I was alright. It was because she told you to.' _She snorted. _'I can't believe you were my friend...'_

'Bless you. You did sneeze, right?'

Chell was glad that he couldn't see her rolling her eyes in the darkness, but she, with her superior eyesight, could just make out his nervous twitch.

'Oh, it was something I said, wasn't it? Or it could have been the smell in here. It's pretty smelly, after all. God, I will stink after this...'

_'Well then, we can both be, and I quote, "smelly humans", can't we, Wheatley?'_

'Heh.' He laughed nervously. 'Then I'll be a smelly human too. Remember? When I was up on that management rail, and I called you a smelly human? That was... kind of wrong of me, and I am sorry.'

_'There's an elephant in this dumpster, Wheatley.'_ Chell thought bitterly. _'Go on. Set the elephant free and into the wild.'_

And he did. 'Well...' He started, and then paused. 'S-sorry, I've... I've been working out what to say to you for ages now, and now that I've got the chance... well, my mind's gone blank.'

_'That doesn't surprise me, you oversized moron. Oh God...' _The sneer that had faintly traced her lips vanished, only to be replaced with disgust. _'I sounded exactly like her then.' _

'Alright, I think I've got it. I'm just going to say whatever comes into my head.'

_'That's what you usually do anyway. Why change the habit of a lifetime?' _

'Alright. Chell?' He paused, taking a deep breath. 'I am sorry that I was bossy. And monstrous. I am sorry, truly, for calling you a "fatty, fatty, no-parents". I'm sorry that I tried to kill you, and I'm sorry that I turned on you. The power just went straight to my head – I wasn't thinking straight!' He broke off again to berate himself. 'No, I said I wouldn't make excuses, and that's an excuse... But, Chell, I really am sorry. Genuinely. You have no idea just how sorry I am – and if you want to call me a moron, or something similar, then go ahead. You are perfectly within your rights to do so, after my, er, stupid mistakes. And I'm sorry that I couldn't remember you, when I was a Core. I couldn't remember much of anything, really, and there's still lots of things that I can't seem to recall. Heh, my whole brain is one big blank spot! But, I remember you...' His voice broke off into a whisper. 'I remember us, you know, exploring the facility as kids. You showed me everything that you could, and some things that even you weren't really allowed to see. And the alarm...' He laughed, thinking back on what he saw as fond memories. 'Oh man, your dad was so pissed off, wasn't he? That was the first thing I remembered, when I was put back into my body.'

Chell's expression remained hard. Yes, when he had spoken he had sounded genuinely apologetic, but he had tried to kill her after all. Why should she forgive him for that? She wouldn't even forgive GLaDOS for trying to kill her, and GLaDOS was, to all intents and purposes, her mother... _'And I _did_ forgive her.' _Chell thought for a few seconds. Her furious resolve, however, quickly established itself in her mind. _'But she is family: she is my mother. Wheatley? He was just some kid that I knew, that I became attached to because he didn't bully me.'_ No, she wasn't going to forgive him – she couldn't afford to put that much trust in someone again. Everyone that she trusted had either died or betrayed her, and this had taught her how to rely on no one but herself, without having anyone to lean on or to turn to, when things turned bleak. Yes, she had followed Wheatley when he had been a Core, but that was only out of a deep interest to discover just what had happened to the boy she knew. She could have found her way out of the facility by herself, quite easily.

Not that she had wanted to leave in the first place, she bitterly noted.

'And I'm sorry I got you in trouble there too.' Wheatley interrupted her thoughts. 'You didn't have to take the blame for me. I was the one messing around with the computers, not you. God, your dad was terrifying when he was angry, wasn't he?'

Chell thought back, delving into her memory. Yes, on the very rare occasions that her father had been angry with her, he had always been terrifying. She had often spent hours alone in her room afterwards, sitting with her back against her door in a bid to prevent anyone, even her mother, from entering. But after a cooling off period he would always come looking for her with an inviting hug and her favourite storybook, and she would lap up all of the attention that he gave her.

Her mother, on the other hand, had never been angry with her. Disappointed, yes, but never angry. She had always preferred to talk Chell through whatever it was that she had done wrong, and would gently explain why she shouldn't do this, or why she shouldn't say that. Chell had even told her the truth about Wheatley playing with the computers, and her mother had said that, though it was a brave and endearing action, that it was the wrong thing to do. She hadn't been angry with Wheatley either, and she wouldn't have been angry with him now. She would have taken the time to consider his point of view, and she would have tried to help him. She was, after all, a very kind and generous person, and she had balance out her father's extreme personality.

They had been two sides of the same coin, and she was the yin to his yang – the calm sky to the turbulent ocean. Yet, Chell knew, that her mother did have some form of anger in her somewhere, everyone did, but she had obviously been careful to not be angry in Chell's presence. She imagined, however, that her anger was much like GLaDOS' normal state of being – cold and vindictive, and indifferent to the plight of those who she did not deem to be important. It would have made sense, really, as GLaDOS was based on her mother and Chell had never seen this side to her in her human life.

Chell had often wished that she were a lot more like her mother, but she had definitely followed in her father's footsteps where issues of anger and patience were involved. She knew that she wasn't quite as bad as her father when he was furious as she was - he would often fire innocent bystanders if he were in a particularly bad mood - but she had definitely inherited his volatile temper.

But, considering what had happened to her in her lifetime thus far, she was glad that she had inherited this rage. It had really served her well over the years.

Wheatley finally shifted, muttering about leg cramps, and kicked Chell in her shoulder blade. With a snarl she kicked him back.

'Ow! That was an accident!'

_'I don't care.' _She kicked him again.

'Can't help but think that you're just trying to be vindictive now. Ow! There we go again, a third kick.' He growled, sounding as dangerous as he had been in those moments before being banished to space. 'Care to make it a fourth? No! I was joking. Ow... And four. Four is enough now, don't you think?'

Chell silently agreed, but only because her sudden movements had pained her cramped limbs.

'Well,' Wheatley continued, finally settling into a more comfortable position, 'I suppose you want to know why I came looking for you then? "Yes, Wheatley, what's the story?" I hear you ask. Well, I'll tell you, as long as you don't kick me again.'

_'I don't think I can make that promise.'_

But Wheatley took her perpetual silence and lack of violence as the go-ahead. 'Well, you see, it goes something like this...'

_'You want me to what?' Wheatley looked up to GLaDOS with his mouth agape. Atlas and P-Body, who were both stood nearby, chirped nervously._

_'Close your mouth, moron. You'll swallow a fly if you leave it hanging open like that.'_

_'But... but...' Wheatley tried to form a coherent sentence, but failed miserably. 'You... Earth... Aliens and crazy people!'_

_Caroline sighed. 'He has every right to be worried, you know. He hasn't left this facility in many years.'_

_'Thank you, Mrs Johnson. Thank you!' He cried, giving the computer's optic a glowing smile that was meant only for the woman trapped inside._

_'Okay, look.' GLaDOS sounded bitter as she spoke. 'I am well aware that you will not want to become involved with the world above - I wouldn't either – but we need you to find the lunatic...'_

_'Michelle.' Caroline corrected._

_'The lunatic.' The computer spoke with a harshness to her tone. 'She needs to be found.'_

_'Are you mad, or something?' Wheatley demanded. 'There is no way I could ever find her out there. The world is massive! Huge!'_

_'And there are considerably less people to go through in your search.' GLaDOS pointed out, quite calmly._

_Caroline had noted something else. 'I know Michelle, and she wouldn't have gone far. She loves this place – she won't be too far away.'_

_Wheatley sighed. 'And what happens if I don't go?'_

_GLaDOS chuckled. 'One word: neurotoxin.'_

_'Great. Death above, or death below. Smashing list of options you've given me there, love.'_

_Caroline calmly spoke out. She's teasing you, Wheatley. She won't...' She saw the disbelieving look etched upon his face. 'No. She would.' Sometimes she put too much faith in her other self._

_'So, moron, what will it be?'_

_Wheatley had already decided that death on the surface would have been far preferable. At least he'd get to breath fresh air as he was killed. Besides, he could just go up to the surface and make his escape, but then..._

'What about Chell?'_ He thought, feeling suddenly guilty. _'I kind of owe it to her.'

_'But what if she doesn't want me there though? I mean, after what I did, she probably won't trust me. What if she doesn't want to come back?'_

_Caroline had a smile to her voice when she spoke. 'Then just stay with her. Just the two of you, together, to help and protect the other. She'll forgive you, over time.'_

_'Are you sure about that?'_

_'Yes.'_

_Wheatley wasn't so sure, but Chell was Mrs Johnson's daughter, and if she didn't know how Chell would react then nobody did._

_'Alright, I'll do it. But can I just ask a quick question?'_

_'No, but you'll do it anyway...' GLaDOS rolled her optic as she was interrupted by Wheatley, just as she had thought would happen._

_'Why do you want me to go looking for her now? Why do you want anyone to look for her now?'_

_GLaDOS paused, and inclined her head. Wheatley couldn't have been sure, but he had thought that perhaps the computer and Mrs Johnson were having a private conversation._

_'Well,' GLaDOS turned back to him, 'let's just say that we have a new... friend. And this new friend, like Caroline, is concerned for the lunatic's welfare. As it is now two against one, well, I had to concede defeat.' She paused, before speaking with a more enthusiastic tone. 'But, on the other hand, if she comes back then I'll be reunited with my favourite Test Subject, and then testing can continue at optimal efficiency.' She chuckled darkly. 'After all, you could barely carry the Handheld Portal Device, let alone use it.'_

_'But it's heavier than it looks. Give me some credit, I haven't done any heavy lifting in a while.'_

_'Wimp. And when I say wimp, I'm not referring to weakly interacting moving particles...'_

_'Yeah, I got that. Thanks.'_

_'Actually,' GLaDOS thought, 'you are weak, and you do move around a lot, and I tend to ignore you, so I guess that technically makes you invisible...'_

_'Stop bullying him.' Caroline scolded._

_'Oh, but it is just so easy.'_

_Wheatley pouted. 'It's not easy.'_

_'Oh but it is.'_

_'Will you just... Never mind. Who's this "friend"?' He flexed his fingers into inverted commas, to illustrate his point._

_'Let's just say that they want the lunatic safe.'_

_'Oh...' Wheatley guffawed, noting the uncomfortable tone in the computer's voice. 'Oh, no. You are not getting off that easy, lady. Who is it?'_

_It was Caroline who responded. 'Another programme. It's called Prometheus - a security fail-safe protocol.'_

_Wheatley knew that name. Prometheus... wasn't that the thing that had brought him back to Earth in the first place? The thing that had been nice to him, but had clearly not cared about the Space Core? Well, if Mrs Johnson trusted it, clearly he could too. Wheatley had thought that her voice had frayed when she spoke, an indication of a possible lie, But he trusted Mrs Johnson – after all, she was one of the few beings that actually seemed to genuinely care about his well-being, along with Atlas and P-Body._

_'And can I keep the boots?'_

_'Yes, Wheatley, you can keep the boots.'_

_'Get in!' He danced triumphantly on the spot before running over to Atlas and P-Body, slapping their hands in a high-five._

_'Morons should not be allowed anywhere near marshmallows.' GLaDOS scowled. 'Just go and gorge yourself on food and water and sleep. You leave in the morning.'_

'So, I left.' Wheatley continued, shifting his position yet again. 'And, several months later, I found you! I'll be honest, I thought it would take a lot longer to find you, I really did. If I found you at all, that is. But I was pointed in the right direction by a rather friendly alien. A vorigaw or something.

_'Vortigaunt.'_ Chell's private thoughts corrected him.

'But yeah. It knew that I was looking for you. It's like they can read minds or something!'

_'It's something like that.' _Chell smiled to herself. After all, a group of vortigaunts had helped her to break into the city undetected, and they had known that she had wanted to gain access without her trying to indicate it. _'Well. Maybe I do need a little help, sometimes.' _She glared in Wheatley's direction. _'But not his help.'_

'Seriously, those aliens are amazing. A little cryptic though. They called you The Daughter Of Aperture. No idea what that was about.'

The vortigaunts that had helped her to enter the city had called her that too, and Chell was just as oblivious as to its meaning. She could only believe that the name had originated from her being the daughter of Aperture's founder and, quite possibly, because she had been born in Aperture itself. But the title itself seemed almost messianic, and Chell could not help but feel a little unsettled by it.

'Oh! Hang on!' She watched his dim outline shuffle about in the dark, looking for something in his pocket. A sudden light filled the small space, and Chell could see that Wheatley was holding a tiny but powerful torch in his hand. 'I completely forgot that I had this. I've been stashing stuff away in these pockets – no idea what I've got in them anymore.'

Chell rolled her eyes.

'Oh! Another thing.' He returned to his pockets. 'I got you... oh, where is it. Ah! There you are.' He held out a small, chocolate sized package wrapped in plain white plastic. Chell took it from him and turned it over in her fingers. She recognised the Aperture logo straight away, but the other symbols eluded her. She wasn't even going to try and read them – she would only feel sick if she did. Instead she looked up to Wheatley with suspicion.

'It's a nutrient bar. I smuggled a few out of the facility. I ate the others, but, you know, saved that one for you. I didn't know if you'd need it or not. Let me tell you, the amount of times I've wanted to eat it...'

Chell continued to eye both him and the package with distrust.

'Go on, it's alright. I haven't tampered with it, honest. It's just good, old fashioned, mass-produced vitamins in a semi-tasty bar. And when I say semi-tasty, I'm actually lying. It tastes horrible, but at least it's edible.'

Slowly, Chell tore open the packaging. It looked like the things that her dad had been forced to eat when he had fallen ill. She sniffed at it, inhaling the scent of dry wheat and glucose. It smelt like those same bars too. With a small nibble she chewed off a corner and chewed away at the dry mixture. Wheatley had been right, it did taste disgusting, but food was food.

'Hey, hey Chell.' He tapped at her shoulder with his foot. 'Look.'

She looked up at him.

With a grin he held the torch beneath his chin and pointed upwards so that his face was dowsed in bright light and bold shadows. 'Check me out, partner! Pretty scary, huh?'

Once again Chell rolled her eyes, and her lips thinned into a scowl. _'How can he still be so childish?'_

'Oh. Okay then. I'll just, well, I don't know what I'll do.'

_'Being sensible sounds good to me.'_

'I'll just sit here and keep quiet. Let you enjoy your food in peace.'

_'Yeah,'_ she thought, as she took another bite, _'that sounds like a great idea.'_

'But before I do...'

_'For the love of God, Wheatley...'_

'I just wanted to say, well, it's great to see you.' And he smiled with a most heart-warming smile. It was just a shame that Chell had completely ignored it.

* * *

><p><span>AN: Oh, Wheatley, bless your little cotton socks. Chell don't take #?& from no human/Core/murderous computer/alien/bird.


	20. To Tantalise A Magpie

Author's Note: Oh my God, huge chapter, why are you so huge? Mondays are bad - I have too much time on my hands, and this is the result: stupidly long chapters. Maybe the next one should be two sentences long, just to balance out the natural order? Meh, I dunno.

Once again, thank you to you lovely folks who review and leave messages for me to read, and thanks to those who add this story to their updates. If I hadn't just eaten all the cake that I baked yesterday, you guys would have got some :) .

The excerpt from Chell's storybook in this chapter is from "The Magpie's Nest" by Joseph Jacob. It's a lovely little tale, really. I reccomend reading the rest of it, since I cut about half of it out. So there, I don't own that either.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Nineteen<span>

To Tantalise A Magpie

'So, there I was, floating about in big old space, just minding my own business and listening to my little Space Buddy, and then I hear this voice.' Wheatley's animated arms waved about as he recalled the story of his return to Earth. Chell had taken hold of the torch after he had nearly knocked her unconscious with it. 'It said I had to go home, straight away. The next thing I know, I've woken up in this body. Sorry, my body.' He corrected himself. 'The voice was this Prometheus chap, by the way. At least, I think he's a chap. With a name like Prometheus you'd think that he's a guy.'

After the two of them had slept for a while they had woken to the sound of a chase outside. Luckily the escaped Resistance member had not thought to hide in the dumpster, and Civil Protection were too stupid to stop and check it, leaving Chell and Wheatley undetected. With a quick glance into the outside world, Chell had seen the setting sunlight and pointed it out to Wheatley. Now they both waited for the cover of darkness to make their exit. Until then, Wheatley had regaled Chell with his numerous space-based tales.

'And, there you have it. My time in space, ended by my mysterious saviour, and the being who wants you back at Aperture so badly. The end.'

Chell nodded, though her face remained passive.

'It took a while for me to remember stuff, but I do remember how I became a Core in the first place.' His usually happy features clouded over, and his face turned sour. Chell became curious, and leant forwards ever so slightly, keen to hear this particular tale.

'Look,' he said, noticing her interest, 'I knew that you'd want to know, but I don't really want to talk about it.'

Chell scowled.

'No! I'm not telling you, and that is that, thank you very much.'

She responded by clicking her tongue.

'What? Just because I want to keep something to myself, you hate me for it? You've got some nerve, lady.' He wagged a finger in her direction. 'You never talk to anyone. No one. Not a word, to not a soul.'

Chell shrugged and rearranged her legs. At least they'd be out of this cramped space soon enough. Then she could make her own way into the night, and leave Wheatley to his own devices.

Wheatley, however, appeared to be having some kind of internal conflict. Eventually he spoke, unable to bear the uncomfortable silence. 'It was Lucian Johnson.'

Chell looked at him, her eyes flashing with anger.

'He, er... he found me looking through files that I shouldn't have been seen with, and he _fixed_ the problem by putting me in a Core, which meant that I lost my memory.' He paused. 'I went back to Aperture to find you. When you stopped sending me letters, I worried. And I was right to, really, wasn't I?'

Chell didn't nod, but her face told him all that he needed to know.

'He told me what he did to you. God, I am so sorry Chell.' He reached out to take hold of her hand, but she snatched it away. 'Okay, I won't... but, I really am sorry.'

Chell glared at him.

'I... I think... well, I have a theory.' He paused for breath. 'Your mum was uploaded into GLaDOS, right? When she clearly didn't want to be. I think he had something to do with it, but I don't think she remembers it. GLaDOS doesn't seem to know either, but she did kill him so, I don't know. Then again, she kills almost everybody, so maybe it was nothing personal. Chell?'

Chell had pushed open the lid, finding a now dark and cloudy sky. Not even the moon shone through the thick black carpet in the sky above. Throwing the torch back at Wheatley she vaulted out and walked away.

'Chell!' Chell, come back!' She heard him fall out of the dumpster and onto the floor, the lid crashing back into place after him. 'Chell!'

_'Go away.'_

'Chell, come on.' Like the night before, he jogged to catch her up and walked by her side. He held the torch up, lighting the pitch-darkness of the alley. 'I didn't mean anything by it. I... Oh, I'm so stupid. I need to think before I speak.'

Chell nodded curtly in reply.

She wasn't shocked by Wheatley's theory; after all she had thought the very same thing. But now that he had told her that Lucian Johnson had forced him into a Core, her theories on Johnson's involvement with her mother's fate became extremely plausible. She couldn't even take pleasure in his death anymore – she was so angry that she had actually become numb to all thought and emotion.

'Chell, where are we going exactly?'

She stopped, turning to look up at him. She pointed to herself, and then back down the alley that they were following. Then she pointed to him, before nodding towards another alley that led from the one they were standing in.

'Wait, what? You're leaving me? But I can't leave you. I have to protect you.'

Chell ignored him and continued on her chosen path. She was almost back onto the road when she heard the clack and cling of Long Fall Boots running along the ground. 'No, no, I am not leaving you. You want to live through this rubbish by yourself? Over my dead body.'

_'The Combine can easily arrange that.'_

'Or, here's an idea, we could go back to Aperture and, you know, live peacefully. Of course, we'll both end up being used in testing, but better the devil you know than the one you don't, right?'

_'That would be nice yes, but if I lead the Combine back there...'_

'Your mum misses you.'

And, for the second night in a row, Chell's fist collided with Wheatley's face.

'What the Hell was that for?' Wheatley blinked, nursing his already bruised cheek. 'I was just telling the truth.'

_'You bastard,' _Chell silently seethed as she stormed away, _'how dare you use that emotional playing card on me!'_

'But don't you want to see her again?'

_'Of course I do, but I won't be seeing her, it'll be GLaDOS. It's not the same!'_

'Look, come on, if I had the chance to see my mum again then I would. And you'd be going home! Bonus!'

But Chell rounded the corner and vanished from sight. With a sigh Wheatley followed after her. _'Why, oh why, do I have to say the wrong thing at the wrong time?'_

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play.**_

_Cave was pacing his office, head bowed deep in thought. Caroline watched as the fury in his eyes burnt brighter with each passing thought, and turned instead to look out of the open door where Michelle and Wheatley were playing. He was showing her how to play with a cat's cradle, and she watched with great interest as Wheatley formed ever elaborate structures with the material entwined between his fingers. They were both doing fine out there, and so, ever so carefully, she closed the door. She knew that, any second now, Cave would turn to the engineer cowering in the corner and explode._

_'And tell me, again, how much will this cost?' Cave asked with a deliberate calm._

_'Well, Mr Johnson, the changes have to occur. The Conversion Gel is a lot heavier than the others – the amount of pressure it needs to be transported...'_

_'I can't help but notice that you haven't answered my question.'_

_'Mr Johnson, please, money should be no object where safety...'_

_'DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A DAMNED FOOL?'_

_The engineer flinched, and withdrew back into the corner that he had slowly emerged from. Caroline, however, closed her eyes, and thinned her lips._ 'Don't say anything, Caroline,' _her mind told her,_ 'not when he's like this. You know better than that.'

_'But, Mr Johnson,' the engineer whimpered, 'the materials to make these changes are costly. And then there are the labour costs to consider.'_

_'Bob would fix this with duct-tape and a hammer!'_

_'With all due respect, sir, Bob Thornton isn't an engineer. He's a caretaker.'_

_'And he works a lot harder than you do, pal. In fact, I may just give him a nice bonus in his wages this month, because we'll have some extra money going.'_

_'Sir?' He clearly knew where this was going._

_'And do you know why there will be extra money this month? It's because you are fired!'_

'Not again, Cave.' _Caroline sighed. Yet another staff member to relocate to another position in the facility. She was just thankful that Cave never noticed that his fired staff were now working in the cafeteria. At least food production had increased as a result._

_'But, sir! I have a family to feed!'_

_'Yeah, and so do I!' Cave's skin was ghostly white with rage: an odd quirk, considering most people turned red when they were angry. 'And you wasting my money means I have less to give them. My family deserve the best, pal. Now get the Hell out of my facility!'_

_Caroline signalled for the engineer to follow her, and he fled from the room as she opened the door._

_'Caroline?' Cave had turned to her. 'Can I have a word?'_

_'In a few minutes, Mr Johnson.' She replied. 'I'll go and see to his paperwork first.'_

_'Fine! But make it quick!'_

_She nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Outside in the lobby Michelle and Wheatley were comforting the poor man._

_'It... okay, sir.' Michelle spoke with her usual quiet voice. 'Daddy... ju... he mean nothing... it.'_

_'Yeah,' Wheatley joined in, 'you'll get your job back in no time. And, if not, well... er, have you ever thought about joining a circus? They're always looking for performers. Not sure what your act would be, though. Can you dance, at all? On a horse, preferably? They like it if you're quirky.'_

_Caroline smiled. They were both such good, kind children, even if their help and advice were not the best in the world. What was important was that their hearts were in the right place._

_'Mr Swanson?' She asked, laying a hand on the man's shoulder._

_'Yeah? You come to finish it? With paperwork?'_

_'No. I'm relocating you.'_

_'You're what?'_

_'Shh, Mr Johnson doesn't know. Now come on, we need to draw up some new paperwork and sign some contracts. How are you working with food?'_

_'Terrible. I burn everything. I even burn salad!'_

_'Hm, well, perhaps just cleaning the kitchen will do then. Is that okay?'_

_The man's eyes widened, and a disbelieving grin spread across his face. 'Okay? I'm just glad that I have a job. Thank you, Mrs Johnson. I can't thank you enough.'_

_'Shh, he'll hear you!'_

_'Right, sorry.'_

_As she led the engineer away, Caroline turned to Michelle and Wheatley. 'Michelle, don't bother your father, okay sweetheart?' She smiled. 'Why don't you two go in my office and play? I've left some paper and some crayons in there for you.'_

_Michelle nodded enthusiastically and dragged poor Wheatley into the office by his wrist. It was a funny sight, with the tiny Michelle leading the exceedingly tall boy by the hand._

_When Caroline had made Mr Swanson the latest in a growing line of kitchen cleaners she returned to Cave's office, only to stop outside her own door when she heard Cave's voice behind it. Once again, he sounded angry._

_'What were you thinking, Michelle? This was important!'_

_He had used her full name? This was not good. Caroline laid her hand on the door handle, ready to open the door when she noticed a thick mop of auburn hair hiding behind the seats in the lobby. 'Wheatley? What is it?' She made her way over the boy, who peeked out from his hiding spot._

_'Mr Johnson just stormed into the office. He told me to leave.' He looked to the office nervously. 'Is Chell in trouble?'_

_'I have no idea, but I'm going to find out. Come on, you don't need to hide behind there. Sit yourself down. There you go.' She ruffled his hair. 'You are such a sweet boy.'_

_Wheatley grinned. 'Thanks, Mrs Johnson.'_

_With a deep breath, Caroline entered her office._

_Michelle was sat on the edge of the desk, cowering from her father's rage. Cave himself was stood over her, and brandishing a blueprint in her direction. 'Well? Explain yourself, young lady!'_

_'What's going on?' Caroline demanded. Cave turned to look at her, and Michelle dived from the table to hide behind her mother's legs._

_'Where do you think you're going, missy? You can't hide behind there.'_

_'Cave!'_

_'What?'_

_'Tell me what is going on right now.' She felt Michelle clutching at the hem of her dress, and reached a hand behind her so that she could stroke her daughter's hair._

_Cave brandished the blueprint in her direction. 'Here! Take a look for yourself!' Caroline took the offered papers and surveyed them with the greatest interest. They were the designs for the new Weighted Storage Cubes, something that could be used for both testing and in the warehouses. Michelle, however, had defaced them, and had drawn little pink hearts in the center of each cube face. There were equations scribbled around the sides, written in the same pink crayon; but these were not simple mathematical equations that Michelle had absent-mindedly concocted, it was her own version of the alphabet – the Equational Alphabetised System._

_After their meeting with the doctor, Cave had decided to use new methods of learning to help Michelle to read and write. She understood numbers perfectly, and so he turned to what she knew best – equations. They had worked on it together, with Cave helping Michelle to form words out of complex strings of algebra and long division. Caroline could have never hoped to translate the symbols, but to Michelle and Cave they made very clear sense._

_And now, after trying and failing to make sense of the symbols once again, Caroline reverted back to simply asking Cave for a translation._

_'I don't know what it says because I haven't bothered to read it.' He scowled, looking behind Caroline. The little girl squeaked in fear, and darted out to hide behind a filing cabinet instead._

_'Get back here...'_

_'Cave, leave her.' Caroline held out her hand to stop him._

_'You're letting her get away with it?'_

_'No, I'm not, but getting angry won't solve anything, will it?'_

_'It solves most of my problems, thank you very much!'_

_'This is just overspill from earlier, and you know it. Look, it's crayon, it will rub off.'_

_Cave remained furious, but he sat himself down on the edge of the desk as an indication that he would try to calm down. Michelle, however, remained hidden behind the filing cabinet, and as Caroline lay the blueprint down so that she could retrieve her their daughter tried to push the cabinet away from the wall so that she could get into a safer spot behind it. Caroline turned to look at her husband with a cold fury in her eyes, and even Cave looked suddenly sombre._

_'Chell?'_

_She made no reply, but a scratching noise could be heard. Caroline peeked behind the cabinet and found Michelle trying to shove herself between the furniture and the wall. She had never seen her so scared before. 'Come on, sweetheart,' she cooed, pulling her daughter out and lifting her into her arms, 'we'll go and get some hot chocolate.'_

_With one last glare in Cave's direction Caroline left her office with Michelle trembling in her arms._

_Outside Wheatley was waiting for them, and his eyes widened when he saw how shaken Michelle was. 'Is she okay?' He asked uncertainly._

_'She will be. Come on, let's go get a drink.'_

_Wheatley followed, looking up to Michelle with a smile. 'It'll be alright.'_

_Michelle only nodded._

_Caroline led Wheatley to the break room, where she made hot chocolate for the children and a coffee for herself. Sitting together at a table, they waited until the few members of staff had left before they spoke. 'Are you alright, sweetheart?'_

_Michelle said nothing. She only fidgeted in her seat._

_'Just tell me, Michelle, why did you draw on one of the blueprints?'_

_'Im-prove.'_

_'Improvements? Oh, Michelle...' She rubbed at her temples. 'I know you want to help, but drawing little hearts on the cubes isn't really an improvement is it?'_

_'But... th-they help test subs.'_

_Caroline frowned. 'How?'_

_'By make... feel safe.'_

_Again Caroline frowned, but she stroked her daughter's cheek none the less. Like Caroline had thought earlier, at least her heart was in the right place._

_Michelle just couldn't stop fidgeting. It was almost as though she was finding the seat uncomfortable, but these seats were some of the more padded seats in the entire facility. But then Caroline had a sudden, infuriating thought_. 'Cave!' _She snarled, but only in her thoughts._ 'If you've smacked her…'

_She waited until the children had finished their drinks before she ushered them to the family apartment. 'You both stay here and play, okay? There are cookies in the bottom cupboard, and some chocolate bars in the fridge.'_

_'Thanks, mommy.'_

_'Yeah, thanks Mrs Johnson! But where are you going?'_

_'Me?' Caroline faked a bright and exuberant smile, but inside she was furious. 'Oh, I just have some work to finish.' She turned to Michelle. 'Are you feeling better now, sweetheart?'_

_She nodded in reply, though she didn't look particularly happy, and she still shook with nerves. _

_'Okay. Play nicely.'_

_'We will!' Wheatley smiled. 'Hey, Chell. Do you have any board games?'_

_'Twister.'_

_'Oh cool! I've wanted to play that for ages!'_

_Caroline left them both as they laid out the Twister mat on the floor, and she headed off in the direction of Cave's office. If he had done what she thought he had done... Oh, Caroline would be beyond furious: she would be livid._

_She found him in his office, looking over the ruined blueprint._

_'Cave.' She began, her voice the epitome of controlled fury. 'Did you smack Michelle?'_

_'And good afternoon to you too.' He replied, briefly looking up from the blueprints._

_In only a few strides Caroline had crossed the room, and slammed her fist down upon the table. 'I asked you a question, Mr Johnson.'_

_'And what if I did?'_

_She knew that his answer was an admission of his guilt. 'We agreed – no smacking. There are other ways to punish a child...'_

_'I only smacked her ass! Why are you making such a fuss about this? I only did it to illustrate my point!'_

_'_Your _point?' Caroline screamed. '_Your _point? Do you have any idea how terrified she is?'_

_'Well good, she's clearly learnt her lesson.'_

_'Have you ever hit her before?'_

_Cave glared at her, his lips thinning._

_'Tell me!'_

_'No! Of course I haven't. But this!' He waved the blueprint at her. 'This was important. Important Caroline!'_

_'Oh, wow, it's a box.' She snapped. 'It's not like we can't draw up another one!'_

_He simply stared at her._

_Caroline, now spent of all her rage, fell suddenly calm. 'Michelle is upset, Cave. I believe that you haven't smacked her before, I really do, because she is that shaken up by it. But what is more important: your daughter, or some stupid blueprints?'_

_A pause. 'They both are.'_

_Caroline sighed. 'You know what? Why don't you just stay here? Why don't you just live in this office, Cave, that's what you seem to do anyway.'_

_'What the Hell is that supposed to mean?'_

_Caroline glared at him darkly. These last three months, since she had returned from her holiday in England, and Cave and Michelle had spent some quality time together, he had hardly seen either of them. Even when at work it was rare for Caroline to even catch a glimpse of him, and when she did he was constantly angry. 'You spend no time at home.' She snapped. 'You don't eat at home, you don't relax at home, when we go to the farm on the weekends you can't wait to get back, and even then you're too busy working to spend time with either Michelle or me.'_

_'Oh, I see.' Cave snarled. 'This is what this is really about. You're jealous of my work!'_

_'No, Cave. I'm lonely. Michelle is lonely. And do you know why?'_

_He said nothing._

_'Clearly your work is more important than your family. So, you know what? Fine, I'll let you get on with it.' And she turned on her heel and left, returning to the apartment alone._

_Michelle had cheered considerably by the time that Caroline had returned home, Wheatley had made sure of that. As Caroline watched them continue to play she noticed that he often lost games that he clearly should have won, but he was being kind by making himself lose, giving Michelle a much needed boost. This boost, however, vanished when he returned to his temporary accommodation for the night._

_Falling back into a miserable silence, Michelle simply sat and stared at her food during dinner. Caroline had tried to gently coax her into eating something, and had eventually convinced her to touch some of it. But she had soon simply asked to go to bed, and when Caroline had offered to read her a story or to sing her a song, she was mortified to hear her say no to both._

_It wasn't long before Caroline too had ended up in bed. She couldn't sleep, but she did not particularly feel like doing anything else. It came as no surprise to her that Cave did not return home at all that night, and as the following morning arrived she had expected the phone call that rang out loud in the living room._

_Caroline read the flashing light as she answered the phone. The call was from Cave's office. 'What?'_

_'I've been here all night.'_

_'And your point is?'_

_'I couldn't sleep.'_

_'Well, that's funny. I couldn't either. I'll ask you again: your point is?'_

_'Have you stopped being so irate now?'_

_She put the phone down, and turned back to her breakfast. The phone rang again a minute later. 'What?'_

_'Why did you put the damn phone down?'_

_'Oh, I don't know – your attitude, perhaps?'_

_'My attitude? You've got some nerve, woman..!'_

_'Did you call back just to shout at me?'_

_'That wasn't my original plan, but I'm having second thoughts...'_

_Caroline hung up again, but before Cave had the chance to ring back she left it off the hook. Maybe now she could enjoy her breakfast in peace._

_'Mommy?' _

_Maybe not._

_Michelle had slowly opened her door and emerged into the living room with her cuddly puppy hanging in the crook of her arm. It didn't look like she had slept either._

_'Come here, sweetheart.' _

_But she didn't move from her spot in the center of the room._

_'Michelle?'_

_'Is daddy still... a-angry… me?'_

_Caroline couldn't disguise her obvious displeasure. 'He's angry with everyone at the minute, little bird.'_

_'My fault?'_

_'No.' Caroline set her breakfast aside and knelt before her daughter. She held the girl's face in her hands. 'No, sweetheart, it is not your fault. Anything can make daddy angry, but it isn't you. Alright? It isn't you.'_

_'But...'_

_'No "buts". Now,' she smiled whilst rubbing Michelle's cheek with her thumb, 'what do you want for breakfast?'_

_Michelle was about to answer when the front door opened, and in the doorway stood Cave. Michelle froze with fear, and her eyes widened considerably._

_'Morning.' He grunted, closing the door behind him. He turned to look at Michelle, and had only just opened his mouth to speak when she fled back into the safety of her room. With a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair. He looked hurt._

_'See what I mean?' Caroline breathed, her eyes thinning as she returned to her seat. She had absolutely nothing else to say to him._

_'She took it that badly?'_

_With a curl of her lip, Caroline nodded. It was all she could do to not throw her morning mug of steaming coffee at him. 'What do you think?'_

_'I'll go and talk to her.' He checked his watch. 'I've got time before she goes to school, right?'_

_Caroline glared at him in bewilderment._

_'What?'_

_'It's Saturday.'_

_'Really?' Cave rubbed his mouth in thought. 'It can't be, otherwise we'd be...'_

_'We would be at the farm right now, yes, but we're not because you forgot. Again.'_

_'God's sake, Caroline - I was working!'_

_Caroline said nothing, but instead pursed her lips and sipped at her coffee._

_'Right, well, I'll talk to her.' With that he made his way to Chell's door and rapped gently upon it._

_'Go... way!' Came her muffled voice. She was probably sat right behind her door again._

'_Come on kiddo, let me in.'_

_'No!'_

_He paused, waiting in silence for a few moments. And then: 'Do you want me to read you a story?'_

_Michelle did not answer straight away, but rather opened the door enough for her to look outside. She looked up at her father and handed him her storybook through the door before closing it again. 'Okay... you c-can read.'_

_Cave didn't look too happy to be reading to his daughter through a closed door but, nevertheless, he sat himself against the wall and began to read aloud._

_'Once upon a time, when pigs spoke rhyme and monkeys chewed tobacco, and hens took snuff to make them tough, and ducks went quack, quack, quack O!'_

_Caroline smiled. He was reading her _The Magpie's Nest: _it was one of Michelle's favourites._

_'All the birds of the air came to the magpie and asked her to teach them how to build nests. For the magpie is the cleverest bird of all at building nests. So she put all the birds around her and began to show them how to do it. First of all she took some mud and made a sort of round cake with it.'_

_A tiny crack opened in the door, and Michelle's eye could be seen peeping out through it. Caroline noticed that Cave had seen this, but pretended that he had not._

_'"Oh, that is how it is done." Said the thrush: and it flew away, and so that's how thrushes build their nests. The magpie then took some twigs and arranged them in the mud. "Now I know all about it." Said the blackbird: and off he flew, and that is how blackbirds make their nests to this very day.'_

_Michelle had slowly crept out of her room to look over her father's shoulder at the pictures within the pages of the book. Cave looked up at her with a smile before continuing._

_'Then the magpie put another layer of mud over the twigs. "Oh, that's quite obvious." Said the wise owl: and away it flew, and owls have never made better nests since. After this the magpie took some twigs and twined them around the outside...'_

_Michelle had crawled under Cave's arm and onto his lap where she sat herself down, and when Cave wrapped his free arm around her in a protective embrace she looked quite content with herself._

_Caroline smiled despite the anger that she still felt for Cave's attitude. He may have had very little time for their daughter, but at least he always came through for her in the end. But then she felt a monster claw away at her insides, and it threatened to tear her to shreds. Caroline looked upon Michelle with what only could be described as... hatred. Caroline felt awful for even feeling it, but she could not stop the emotion from washing over her like boiling water._

'If only he'd do the same for me...'

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

_**No**_

GLaDOS did not have to comment on just how much she had enjoyed the last few seconds of this memory, as Caroline already knew what she was thinking.

'Jealous, much?'

'Shut up.'

'Oh, but you were.'

'I was being stupid. I was already upset and angry, so my mind was going to automatically focus on anything even remotely negative.'

_That is not like you at all, Caroline. I am actually quite upset._

GLaDOS looked up to the ceiling. 'Oh. Look who it is. Prometheus the pest. We wondered where you had gone.'

_I never left._

'Yes, we would not have expected any less. Thank you for not disappointing us.'

_You are very welcome._

'Well,' GLaDOS sighed, 'I suppose there's a reason why you've suddenly decided to bother us after all this time. Go on, brag about it.'

Prometheus ignored the computer's invitation, and instead turned to Caroline._You were really hurt, weren't you?_

Caroline's voice was pure poison. 'And why should you care how I felt?'

_Caroline._

'Oh, don't mind her.' GLaDOS chuckled. 'She's feeling a little angsty. It's been six months now, you know, since the moron left.'

'I am not angsty.' Caroline bit. 'I am concerned.'

'Hm, if you say so.'

_I see that the partnership is working well._ Prometheus noted with a hint of irony.

'As well as it could have ever hoped to work.'

There was the sound of metal scraping against metal not too far away from GLaDOS' chassis. 'And what is that?' She asked, looking behind her in time to see a Core slide into her view, on the management rail that she had installed for the Adventure and Fact Cores to use. But this Core was neither of them, and as it stopped by the computer's side both GLaDOS and Caroline could see that it had a silver optic that dissipated out into that of a pure white.

'Oh.' Caroline began, a little startled. 'Hello.'

'Hello.' The Core happily replied.

'And who might you be? I don't think I've ever seen you before.'

'I'm Tantalus.' The Core's optic flickered jovially. 'And who are you?'

'I'm Caroline, and the computer that you can see is the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System.'

GLaDOS scowled. 'But you can call me the boss.'

'Okay, boss!'

'Well, it seems friendly enough.' Caroline noted.

GLaDOS, however, remained sceptical. 'Oh, Prometheus?'

_Yes, dearest?_

'You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?'

_Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?_ He laughed. _I know._

'You are infuriating.' GLaDOS spoke with a vacant tone.

_I know._

Caroline turned her attention back to their guest. 'And what brings you here, Tantalus?'

'I...' Tantalus' voice broke off. 'I got lost. I was looking for the way out.'

'Why?'

'Well, I don't like it in here. I want to leave. But I keep finding doors that look like exists, and they're not exists at all.'

'Tantalus,' Caroline began, speaking kindly, 'you do realise that if you leave the facility, you won't be able to move around once you are outside?'

Tantalus blinked. 'I never thought of that. Oh.' He sounded crestfallen. 'Well, thanks anyway.'

He began to slide away when, suddenly, he stopped. 'I know! I'll devise a method of transportation for when I get outside! Is that a good idea?'

'Yes.' Caroline replied. 'Yes it is.'

Tantalus' optical covers displayed his happiness and he slid away in the direction that he had entered.

When he was out of hearing range Caroline simply hummed, deep in thought. 'Strange.'

'Very.' GLaDOS replied. 'Many things are strange, but to which one are you referring?'

'Did you notice something familiar about Tantalus?'

'No.' The computer sighed, returning to her day-to-day business.

'That was Mark's voice.'

GLaDOS stopped before she had even begun her work. She played the sound files of both Mark and Tantalus over and over in her head, and yes, they were exactly the same. 'Well, I think we know what happened to him.' She said.

'Prometheus?' Caroline suggested.

'I have no reason to believe otherwise. One does not simply walk into a Human-Core Transfer system, even if they are a stupid human.'

Caroline turned her attention to the disembodied voice. 'Care to explain yourself?' She sounded furious.

_He was hurt. This was the only way to save him. As you can see, his desire for freedom remains completely intact. I thought I'd just give him a fitting name._

GLaDOS' optic thinned. 'Liar.'

_How so?_

'Why would you want to help a human, when clearly you are only interested in one? And why, when there is ample space in the medical bay, would you have not taken him there to seek help first? You, sir, are a liar.'

_I refer you to my earlier statement: Maybe, maybe not._

Prometheus watched as GLaDOS and Caroline both agreed to keep a close eye on Tantalus. He smiled, knowing full well that they could never discover the information that he fed into the Core's mind in a long, but slow line; information that would eventually craft Tantalus into a disciple for The Daughter. Until then, the Core was just like any other – completely clueless as to its origins, and a mindless drone designed to carry out meaningless tasks. Tantalus would be far greater than any of them, in time.

It was only a matter of patience.

Days later, in one of the dumps of City Six, Chell was foraging once again. She searched through old bins, piles of garbage and emptied supply crates, looking for anything edible or useful. Wheatley watched from the side-lines as she threw old wrappers and pieces of paper to one side, and old clothes to another. Wheatley frowned. Was she looking for some new clothes? Admittedly, hers were badly beaten and very filthy. The waist high jeans were frayed and torn at the knees, and blood stained the space around what looked like a bullet hole. The dark grey hooded jacket that she wore was just as bad. It was only her Long Fall Boots and the small utility belt, that she had obviously fashioned herself, that remained unscathed and completely intact.

From within the confines of the seventh bin that she had searched, she pulled out what looked like an old circuit board. She twirled it between her fingers, examining it closely, and placed it inside the storage bag on her belt before returning to the bins.

Wheatley yawned. 'Are you done yet?'

Chell shook her head.

'You've been looking for ages. What are you hoping to find?'

She didn't answer.

Wheatley shoved his hands in his pockets, and kept to himself. '... Okay then.'

Yet, only five minutes later, the clothing that Chell had stashed to one side was thrown into his face. He screamed, and threw the bundle to the ground. 'AARGH! GERMS! GET THEM OFF! GET THEM OFF ME!' But instead of comforting him, Chell pressed her fingers to his lips and glared at him.

'Okay,' he spoke through her hand, 'I'll be quiet.'

She moved her fingers away.

'So, what are these for?'

She pointed at him.

'Me?'

A resolute nod of the head was his only response.

'But... they've been in a dump. They'll be riddled with germs.' He looked down at her pleadingly. 'I hate germs.'

Chell raised an eyebrow, picked the clothes up from the floor, and shoved them back into Wheatley's arms.

'But what's wrong with the jumpsuit?'

She cast him a derisive glance before turning her back to him. _'Really, Wheatley? You can't see the problem here? You are bright orange, in a world of dark and dull colours.'_

'Oh, alright. I'll get changed. Hey...' His voice faltered. 'You won't run off without me while I'm changing, will you?'

_'That was my plan.'_

'I really, really don't know how I'd survive without you. I mean, I know we've only been together a few days now, but you've saved my skin three times.'

That was true: she had saved him from Civil Protection, she had saved him from a headcrab and, in the early hours of this morning, she had stopped him from running head-first into the path of a strider. How he had survived the trek from Aperture to this city, Chell would never know. Why she had continued to help him puzzled her even more. The first rescue had been to protect Aperture, but the second and third? Well, even Chell did not know the answer to that. Perhaps she felt sorry for the idiot?

_'That's it.'_ She told herself. _'You feel sorry for him.'_

'I really, really would be stuck without you.' He sounded completely pathetic.

_'Yeah. I feel sorry for him.' _She looked before her, at the vast expanse of garbage and mess, and beyond to the wall that bound the city within Combine fortified perimeters. They were locked inside, trapped like rats. And she wanted freedom. She may not have been able to leave the city, or to return to Aperture, but she could find a little piece of freedom right now. All she had to do was run, and not look back.

Freedom.

_'Goodbye, Wheatley.' _

But her legs wouldn't move. Her mind was willing, but her body refused. Why wouldn't her legs carry her to what she desired? Was it guilt?

_'It's not what mom would have done.' _She heard her conscience whisper. _'For once, don't emulate dad. You wanted to be like mom? Then start acting like her.'_

But he didn't deserve her forgiveness. He had turned on her – he had tried to kill her!

_'Don't forgive him then. Just don't abandon him.'_

So much for freedom.

'Okay, you can turn 'round now. I look ridiculous, by the way.'

Chell turned, and what met her eyes made her body shake with silent hilarity. There was just too much Wheatley for too little clothing. He was wearing mismatched items of old tracksuits, and the bottoms were half way up his shins. The jacket ended just above his waist, and the sleeves just below his elbows. At least his shirt fit just fine, but that was only because he, like her, had not parted with the Aperture vests that they had both been wearing beneath their jumpsuits.

'See?' He pointed to himself. 'Ridiculous.'

It was nothing that Chell couldn't fix. After all, there were rolls of bandages stashed away in her utility belt that couldn't really be used on wounds because they were so filthy. She used them to wrap up her hands during cold weather, or if she needed a good grip on something. Now it could help Wheatley. After all, modern Earth was no respecter of fashion, but Wheatley really did look ludicrous.

Taking the bandages out of her belt, she began to wrap them around his arms, starting just above the sleeves of his jacket. She tore off strips and tied them both into place before doing the same for his legs.

'Thanks.' Wheatley gave her a weak grin. 'I don't look quite so bad anymore. Actually,' he broke off to look at his bandaged arms, 'these make look quite tough. Heh, I'm a tough guy.'

_'Hardly.' _Chell thought, but the smile had returned to her lips. Well, at least Wheatley brought one benefit with him; his stupidity would be a huge boost for her deflated ego.

Wheatley, too, had not failed to miss her smile. 'You know, I haven't seen you look happy in ages.'

In an act of defiance Chell wiped the grin from her face and replaced it with a scathing glance.

'What? I was just saying. Just telling the truth.'

Chell rolled her eyes, and finished wrapping up her own arms and hands, up to her fingers. There was no point in putting them back in her belt now – they would only take up space for other valuable things.

With the sharp pang of hunger bubbling in her stomach, Chell motioned for Wheatley to follow her and follow he did. 'I'm getting hungry.'

_'So am I, Wheatley. So am I.'_

* * *

><p><strong><span>AN:**_ Prometheus - _"Yes, dearest?" (Prometheus, you old flirt XD )


	21. The Revelation

Author's Note: Two chapters in two days. I'm not doing bad here, really. But now I really can't feel my eyes.

Hm. Forget the cuppa. I'll have some wine instead :p . And then I'll have a cuppa. And a biscuit. And then... er, I forget. But it will be exciting-ish!

Again, everyone, thank you for the reviews and story alerts. You guys rock :) . And I hope you are feeling better now, Hinapen!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twenty<span>

The Revelation

_**Test Candidate Brain Scan Logs, Archive #545**_

_**Access Memory Data: Yes/ No**_

'What are you doing?' Caroline asked, her voice barking out the question. 'Don't you dare invade her privacy!' If the computer so much as dared to look into Michelle's brain scans, Caroline would...

She couldn't do anything.

'You don't have to watch if you don't want to.' GLaDOS replied with a sneer. 'You humans are notorious for letting your minds go blank – why don't you exercise that particular lack of control, and when I'm done, I'll get back to you.'

'What the Hell do you think you are doing?'

'Investigating.' She replied simply.

'Investigating what? Are you looking for new ways with which to insult her, just in case she comes back?'

_It would seem so. _Prometheus entered the conversation. He sounded just as furious as Caroline. _But we all know that she has no concern for the implications of her actions._

'You're one to talk.' GLaDOS replied, her voice laced with amusement.

_But my interference is for practical reasons, not to entertain myself._

'And who says that I'm trying to entertain myself?' GLaDOS spoke plainly. 'I am merely researching into her past so that we can get a clear picture of how her personality so dramatically, and we all know that it has, so don't deny it. I imagine that it was a gradual progression, and I want to confirm my suspicions. However, if I do find some new information which I can use against her, well...' She chuckled darkly. 'I would be a fool not to use it.'

'I swear to God, if you open those files...'

_**Yes**_

'Oops. My bad.'

_Chell stood looking at the vast variety of canned goods on the shelves in front of her. She couldn't read the words, but the cats on the paper labels told her that she was indeed looking at cat food. She scowled in thought; what if the cat didn't like the food that she would buy for it? What then? She would just have to wait and see, and as she picked up several cans she decided that she could always steal some tinned tuna from the kitchen back at the house in which she lived._

_She called it the house. She never called it home. Home was, after all, where your heart was, and her heart was definitely not here in Portland ._

_Chell carried the cans to the till, and piled them neatly upon the conveyor belt. The shop assistant gave her the dead eye, as she always did, but Chell did not take it personally: the woman looked at everyone like that. 'You on your own again, kid?'_

_Chell nodded._

_'Hm. Kids shouldn't be allowed in here on their own. They cause too much trouble without supervision. If I ran this place you wouldn't be able to come in here and buy...' She picked up the first can. 'Cat food.' She turned to look Chell. 'Your folks got a cat now?'_

_Chell scowled. Her adoptive parents were most certainly not her folks. She shook her head ferociously._

_'Feeding a stray then?'_

_She nodded._

_'On your head be it, kid. Those brothers of yours don't like animals. I've seen them, taking pot shots at the pigeons down in the park.'_

_Chell frowned. _'And those losers are not my brothers. I am an only child, and I like it that way.'

_With each can run through the till, Chell offered the money to the woman, who looked at her with suspicion. 'Since when did you get an allowance like that?'_

_Chell shrugged. In truth, this wasn't her allowance. She had stolen the wad of money from a neighbour's house when they had been holding a party. Amidst the chaos of drunken adults and equally as drunken behaviour, Chell had seized her chance and had pick pocketed people's coats. What she now offered to the shop assistant was what remained of her takings. The rest had been spent on getting herself out of the house and away from the family that she had been forced to live with._

_Well, you didn't survive the orphanage without learning to look after yourself, and by any means necessary._

_'How old are you again?'_

_Chell used her fingers to tell her, holding up a full set of fingers, quickly followed by four._

_'Fourteen?' She furrowed her brow in confusion. 'You don't look much like a fourteen. More like a ten.'_

_Chell had always looked younger than she actually was._

_'Well, here.' She was handed the bag with the cans inside, and a handful of change. 'Don't go spending the rest of it on useless stuff.' With a nod Chell left, her arms full with the weight of the bag._

_Outside the sun shone down from the clear and crystalline blue sky, and the warm air prickled tiny beads of sweat from her skin. It was the height of summer, and the long days of no school work or cafeteria lunch queues had offered Chell with a well-earned rest. She had been stuck with her adoptive family since January now, and this had been the first time that she had full days to herself. She didn't get any peace at either the house or at school._

_The trees that lined the paths of the neighbourhood swayed gently with the cooling breeze created by nature and the traffic on the roads, and Chell turned, leaving the sidewalk to climb up a well-kept law and towards a rather imposing house. It was a pristine white, and it blinded Chell as the sunlight was deflected from the paint and into her eyes. Darting around to the side of the building, Chell hoped athletically over the fence and into the even more pristine garden to the back._

_Here she made her way to the corner of the garden, to where she had, in complete secrecy, built herself a tunnel into the now unused shed. The shed itself had become overgrown with flowers and shrubs. It was actually rather beautiful to behold, and no longer resembled the shed that hid beneath the forces of nature that had taken control of it._

_This shed had become Chell's own little private hideaway – somewhere where she could pretend that the metallic walls and the stuffy air that surrounded her were actually the walls of test chambers built up in the underground world of the Aperture salt mines. After all, the world on the surface was beautiful, Chell could not deny it, but she had been born underground. She had lived underground. Chell was a creature of the subterranean, not of the surface, and anything that could emulate these deeply buried depths was, in Chell's opinion, a God's send._

_But now her private space had a guest, and as she flicked on the light of her battery-operated lamp, she saw quite clearly the shape of a sleeping cat. Chell smiled. She had a feeling that this creature was just like her – lost, lonely and abandoned. She had not seen any posters with a picture of the cat in any of the streets around here, and so she had no reason to believe otherwise. It was a stray, just like her._

_And strays had to stick together._

_Chell opened the can with the pen knife that she had found in an old toolbox and poured the contents out into a dish. The cat's ears flicked in the direction of the sound, and it was not long until it hobbled over to where Chell left the food for it. As it ate she looked quickly at its back leg that she had bandaged. The poor thing had been bleeding so badly, but now the bleeding had apparently stopped. She stroked its back fondly, her fingers running through its thick ginger fur._

_She should give her new friend a name, but what name would suit it best? She didn't want to give it a stupid name, like Ginger or Pilchard. Only idiots gave their cat a name like that. No, her cat deserved a much better name._

_The cat looked up at her with thoughtful eyes. It seemed to be an intelligent creature, as it had found her hiding place in the first place, and it constantly surveyed its surroundings with interest. It was a thinker, this cat._

'I shall call you Plato.' _Chell smiled, scratching behind his ears. _'So, Plato, I guess you like that food after all? Good. I made a good choice.'

_Plato left some of the food in the dish, saving it for later, and yawned. Chell chuckled, her quiet voice barely a whisper, but soon she only smiled as Plato climbed into her lap and curled into a protective ball._

_For weeks Chell returned to her hiding place at least twice a day, where Plato would be sat waiting patiently for her to arrive. They would play and they would nap together, and whilst Chell wrote down equations for fun, Plato would sit in her lap and watch her with a keen interest. But, in the last week of the summer break, Chell returned to Plato to find him sprawled out on the cushion that she had left for him. Chell smiled, thinking that he were fast asleep, and opened a can of food before pouring it out for him._

_He gave her no reaction._

_With a confused frown Chell tapped the pen knife against the can to wake him and rouse his attention. Still Plato slept._

_It was with great effort that Chell managed to make her severely under-worked vocal chords speak. 'Plato?'_

_She surveyed him in great detail. There was no rise and fall of his chest, no twitch of his nose. She held out her hand to stroke his side, only to find that he was as cold as ice._

_'Plato?' She could feel the tears before they had even escaped from her eyes, and she lifted the soft bundle into her arms, cradling him like a child. She held him to her face, and her raspy sobs were muffled by his fur._

_She was alone again. She had been abandoned again._

'Why does everyone I love leave me?'

_She closed off the tunnel to her hiding place that day, and buried Plato deep in the shadows of the garden, underneath the protective arches of some trees._

_From that day on she would not allow herself to care another living creature. She never laughed, and she never smiled. Why bother if the few good times would be so shortly lived? With no more use for them her vocal chords simply became unusable, and Chell was never able to make any sound ever again. Not that it bothered her – she had no desire to speak to anyone, let alone the idiots that she lived with._

GLaDOS fast forwarded through the memories, until she found something that looked a little more interesting.

_Chell was now sixteen, and was sat at a kitchen table with two adults looking upon her. Three boys stood not too far away, and two of them were clearly older than Chell, but the third was about the same age as her. They were laughing at her. Laughing._

_She cast them a piercing, silencing glare. _'I hate you so much.' _And she meant every word._

_'Michelle,' the woman at the table began, flicking her blonde hair to the side, 'come on now, how are we supposed to finish this study if you don't cooperate?'_

_The man spoke next. 'Your mother is right, we can't publish the findings until it is finished, so please would you just answer us?'_

'You are not my parents. I am not your daughter.' She sneered at them. 'You could never hope to be anything like my mom and dad. You are pathetic.'

_'Stuart,' the woman turned to the man, 'are we doing something wrong? This is what we do to people that actually come to us for help. Why won't it work on her?'_

_'She just doesn't want to open up.' Stuart replied. 'well, not yet anyway. Stop worrying, Lillian: We'll get this done in time.' He pointed to some papers on the table.'_

'No you won't.' _Chell thought, quite smugly,_ 'I will never cooperate with you on your little study. I'm not here for your psycho-analytic pleasure, although you both clearly seem to think so. Funny, I thought you adopted kids because you wanted a child to love and care for, not so that you could use them in a study. Besides,' _she turned back to the boys, _'you already have three choice Test Subjects over there. But of course, I forgot, they are actually your own kids. How silly of me. Who'd want to test their own child, after all?'

_'Michelle,' Stuart began, 'you do realise that this will help you too? If you'd just work with us, you may find some peace of mind. Think of it as a cathartic experience.'_

'No, I'm okay thanks.'

_'Firstly, why this obsession with Aperture Science? I mean, why not fixate around Black Mesa? They actually contribute something...'_

_He was cut off by the cold fury in Chell's eyes. _'Don't you ever speak that name to me. Never!' _They were the reason why her dad never had any free time, because he was busy trying to protect Aperture from their thieving hands. He had been constantly fighting to outsmart them, and had fought to prove that they were better than Black Mesa._

_'And this idea that you were related to the founder, well, we all know that isn't true, don't we? You know the truth Michelle.'_

'You're right, I do know the truth. And the truth is, you are an idiot. I am Chell Johnson, daughter of Cave and Caroline Johnson, and anything that you or anyone else says is the lie.'

_'Obsession is not healthy, and especially around two very dead people who are not your real parents.'_

_The table was thrown across the room, where it crashed into the fridge._

_'Michelle!' Lillian cried. 'What are you doing?'_

'Anger management. After all, don't you two rave about it so much?' _She turned on her heel and left, pushing aside the boys who began to laugh at her once more. Well, they laughed until Chell punched the eldest boy in the nose._

_'Michelle!'_

_Chell ignored them and ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. She ran until she reached the door to the room that they had given her, and barricaded herself in with a bookcase and the desk. Only then did she turn to her room._

_Every wall was scrawled with her equational words, and articles and pictures adorned the empty spaces. She sat on the bed and opened the drawer next to it. Fumbling through it she found the little locked box in which she stored her most private possessions, and from underneath a floorboard she took the key and unlocked it._

_Inside there was a small collection of things that she had come to hold sacred and dear to her heart. Old notes that she has scribbled upon, a small keyring of a magpie that she had bought, some of Pluto's fur stored safely inside a zip lock bag... and on top of all of these, a picture that she had torn from an old scientific journal in the school library – a photograph of her mom and dad, taken in the 1950s._

_Chell didn't care that her vandalism of school property had earned her three weeks in detention. It had been worth it to see her parent's faces again._

_She picked up that picture now and held it tenderly between her fingers, as she curled up in a ball on the bed. And she cried as she looked into their sepia toned faces._

'My fault.' _Her body shook._ 'It was all my fault. Dad died because of me. Mom died because of me. I killed them.' Empty sobs echoed through her chest as she silently howled into the pillow. 'They would have been better off without me. They would have had more time for each other. They wouldn't have argued. They wouldn't both de dead.'

_Soon she had cried herself to sleep, with the picture held firmly, but gently, in her hand._

_When she woke it was dark outside. There were no sounds coming from downstairs, but there was snoring from the other bedrooms. Chell turned to her clock. It was half past one in the morning. With a yawn she lay back on the bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling. She felt the picture beneath her hand, and she looked at the smiling faces of her parents once more._

_She knew that she had not even been on their minds at that point in history, after all she knew that they had married in the late sixties, but even now it seemed like they were inviting her back with open arms. 'Everything is fine.' Her father's face seemed to say. 'Come on back, kiddo. We miss you.' Her mother's face shared the same sentiment. 'Please, sweetheart, we love you. Come home.' _

_Home. Her real home, and not this terrible sham. But she was only sixteen. She'd be caught if she were to travel by herself, if she were seen out of school. After all, she looked younger than sixteen - she looked as though she were fourteen instead. She would be the target of truancy officers and the police alike._

_And of course, there were Stuart and Lillian. They'd call in the army if their precious guinea pig vanished into thin air. But, at the same time, her heart told her it was the right thing to do._

'Run, Chell. You've been running all your life – you just never realised it.'

_And she could run like no other. She could jump like no other. She could make her body perform gymnastic feats that would have broken the spines of others. She had been very popular among the gym teachers, and the maths teachers and, of course, the science teachers. Her three brilliant skills. The things at which she excelled like no other ever could._

'Run, Chell.' _Her conscience goaded her. _'Do not plan. Do not prepare. Just run. Take what is important, leave what is not, and run. Run and survive on your wits alone. Now do it.'

_With no other thought she pulled out her old backpack and dropped it on her bed. She put the photograph safely back inside the box and locked it, stashing both box and key safely inside the bag. Next came some clothes, and then some notepads and pens. In went a map, followed by a purse full of the money that she had continued to steal over her couple of years spent in Portland. Chell wasn't stupid – she'd know, one day, that she would be in dire need of a large sum of money. She had enough to live with, she'd just need to top it up once in a while._

_With her bag packed Chell dressed the most hard wearing coat and pair of boots that she had. Satisfied with her choices she opened the window and stuck her head out into the cold night air. She would have gone downstairs to steal some food for her journey, but moving the furniture away from the door could have woken the others. She couldn't risk that. And so she leapt from her window and into the tree opposite, climbing her way down through the mess of branches until she was low enough to drop safely into the grass._

_There was just one last thing that she had to do before she left. Walking through the shadows of the back yard, Chell found Pluto's grave. With a wave she knelt by the tiny mound. _'Hey, buddy.' _She thought. _'I'm leaving. Like the stray that I am.' _She turned to the rose bush behind her and plucked a flower from it, laying it out gently upon the earth. _'I'll see you later, Pluto. I'm sorry.'

_And so Chell left that house behind, making her way into the night. She was free._

_She was also homeless. And Chell smiled, she actually smiled, like she no longer thought that she could. _'I wonder what my dad would say if he could see me right now?' _She knew, that wherever it was that the living went upon their deaths, her father would be using a few choice words right now. With the smile still up on her lips she gazed up to the sky, looked apologetic, and shrugged. _'Sorry, dad, but needs must.'

_She would buy food when the shops opened. For now though she would simply walk as far she could before that time came. She would be doing a lot of walking from now on, she might as well get used to it. Using public transport, at her age, would have been asking for trouble. She would have been taken to the police for skipping school. She could have flown, but she had left her passport behind as it had been kept in Stuart and Lillian's room, like all the others. No matter, she was not going back for it now. _'Besides, if they call the cops on me, then the passport would be flagged up if I used it. Better off without.'

_She preferred to walk anyway, rather than claim the passport that bore the name that had been forced upon her: Michelle Bay. _Bay_. What kind of a name was Bay?_

_No, she was quite happy to walk. And walk she did._

_**Memory Data Paused. End?**_

_**Yes**_

GLaDOS chuckled to herself. 'Well, I have to hand it to her; the lunatic has guts.'

'She was being stupid.' Caroline breathed. 'She was only sixteen!'

'She survived, didn't she?' GLaDOS pointed out. 'She went from being the impish little daddy's girl into what she is now. It did her good, I think.' She paused. 'You mollycoddled her to within an inch of her life. She would have been a pushover as an adult if that had been allowed to continue.'

'No she wouldn't.' Caroline argued, becoming defensive.

'Oh please, she would have turned to you and your husband for everything. You know I'm right.'

_She has a point._

'Thank you.' GLaDOS replied.

_But so does Caroline._

'Hah.' Caroline laughed.

_You see, both Cave and Caroline would have been there for her, when she needed them, but Chell was already quite independent._

'And how exactly do you know this?' GLaDOS demanded.

_There was an unsettling mirth to his words. It is because I know the both of them._

'Here we go with the cryptic answers. Again.'

_Do you expect anything less?_

'Unfortunately, I do not. It would be nice if you vanished, forever, though. If you'd like to get to work on that, then I'd really appreciate it.'

_You'd miss me if I was gone._

'Well, why don't we find out? Why don't you leave, and never come back, and I'll see if I miss you.'

'Really?' Caroline asked. 'You're doing this now?'

_No. We're done here._

Caroline would have frowned if she could.

'What?' GLaDOS asked, noticing Caroline's shift in mood as it rippled through her own data. 'What is it?'

'It's just, I thought...'

'Thought what? Speak up, woman.'

'It's nothing, really. I'm just being stupid.'

'Nothing changes.'

But Caroline knew that she wasn't being stupid. She could not have been sure, but it looked as though Prometheus was playing mind games with her. After all, there was only one man in the world who had ever said the words "we're done here" like that, and they had all ways been the suffix to to the prefix of Cave's own name.

Prometheus, it seemed, had been listening in on her thoughts. He chuckled. _Cave Johnson; we're done here._

_'Stop it.'_

_Oh, but I'm having so much fun._

_'I said stop it...'_

_I could say it with his voice, if you'd like. Add a little realism to the fray._

_'STOP IT!'_

And the panels of the chamber undulated violently, the blue lights and lenses built within them flashing red.

'What was that?' GLaDOS demanded, swaying from side to side, her gaze being cast across each and every panel. 'I want to know what is going on!'

_Caroline just took control of the chassis. By herself, I'd like to add._

'She what?' Suddenly, GLaDOS felt extremely threatened.

_Well, it makes sense really. She is you, and you are her, after all._

Caroline however, remained oblivious to the heated conversation that broke out between the two programmes. _She_ had done that? But how? She wasn't supposed to do that. She wasn't able to do that, it simply wasn't possible.

_Now, where were we?_

_'What do you want from me?'_

_A word, if you would not mind._

'What are you two talking about? I know you're talking about something!' GLaDOS howled.

_'How are you doing this? She isn't supposed to be able to know what I'm doing, what I'm feeling or what I'm thinking.' _She screamed. _'What have you done?'_

_For once I had nothing to do with this. This is your doing, Caroline. This is also the reason I want to talk to you now, whereas before I just wanted to play with that beautiful mind of yours._

_'Why?'_

'Why, what? What are you two doing? Why can I hear your thoughts?'

_Shall we just put her to one side for now? _And Prometheus forced GLaDOS into standby mode. The chamber fell quite as the computer's chassis hung low to the floor, unmoving, but very much awake.

_Good, that's much better. I can hear myself think now._

'You... who are you?' Caroline seethed. 'If you profess to know Cave and I that well, then you'd know that I don't like people keeping the truth from me.'

_I know, and I am sorry for all of this secrecy, but it is necessary._

'Why is it necessary?'

_For my protection. _He paused. _And yours._

Caroline paused. He had sounded so caring when he had spoken. Was this another trick?

_No tricks, Caroline. I swear. But the truth hurts._

This was much unlike the Prometheus that she had come to know and fear. Was this the second half of the Dual Personality Core that they had, as of yet, been unacquainted with?

_Bingo._

'Well, I hope I can get more sense out of you then I can the other half of you.'

_We'll see. But my other half, well, he likes to stay in control. It's a miracle that I've managed to get this far. _

'What do you mean, "this far"?'

_I've managed to subdue him, but only for a while._ He laughed. _Normally it is I that is the suppressed one. As you could see earlier, he broke through when he was trying to mess with your head._

'I see.' Time was short then.

_I wasn't expecting you to be so trusting. I would have thought you'd think this was one of his tricks._

'No. You're completely different.' There was a very clear relief in her voice. 'Your presence isn't terrifying.'

_You do realise I am still Prometheus, right?_

'Yes, I understand that. But you seem more human than the other... half.'

_Thanks._

Caroline paused for a moment, deep in thought. But when she spoke her voice was cautious. 'This human that was put into you, are they still there?'

_Yes._

'That human is you, isn't it?'

_Yes._

If Caroline had been able to breath, her breath would have hitched in her throat. 'Oh my God, I am so sorry.'

Prometheus laughed. _Don't be, it isn't your fault. Besides, I've gotten used to my more... forward self._

'I don't understand.' Caroline replied. 'I thought you said you were Prometheus? But with the way you're speaking, it makes you seem like someone completely different.'

_Well, at one point in time, I was. _He sighed. _It's a long story, so make yourself comfortable._

Caroline listened, waiting patiently.

_I was once a human, as we have already discovered. I worked here and, well, I knew both you and Cave very well. I knew Chell very well. But, unfortunately, there was someone who didn't like me being around, and this individual decided to get rid of me._

'Let me guess, Lucian Johnson?' After all, Wheatley had told her that Lucian Johnson had uploaded another before him, after he had been able to tell her the terrible memory.

_Correct again. But the idiot uploaded me into the Dual Personality Core. He realised his mistake once I didn't forget who I was and so he tried to delete me. Tried to wipe the Core's memory clean, but the Core was clever. It stashed both itself and me safely away into the mainframe. Johnson, however, thought I was dead. And he was happy about it. Over time, my conscience mingled with that of the A.I. We became one in the same as the years went by, and from two beings one was created. You know who._

'Prometheus.'

_Yes._

'But you still cling on to your origins.' Caroline said, struck by a sudden realisation. 'So the schizophrenia is still there. You are two people as one being.'

_Unfortunately._

'Oh, you poor thing.'

_Caroline, please, don't mourn me. I may not have enjoyed my time as this monster, but at least it meant that I could protect you from being deleted. I could protect Chell, and help her when she was in dire need. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I hadn't been put in here._

Caroline paused. 'Who are you?'

Prometheus said nothing.

'You said Lucian Johnson did this to you, well, you must have worked closely with him if he were to know you. He wasn't the kind of man who kept favour with those he believed were below his station...' No. No, it couldn't be.

_Caroline?_

Caroline couldn't reply. Lucian Johnson had been very keen to take over from Cave after his death. He had said that he would look after the company until Michelle was old enough to inherit the facility. He had not been particularly unhappy once Cave had died...

_Caroline?_

He had been the one that had found Cave dead in his office. But what if Cave hadn't actually been in his office?

'Oh God.' She felt her data run cold, and where she should have had a heart she felt a stabbing icy burn. She felt the illusion of adrenaline course through what remained of her being. If she could, she would have been sick. 'Oh my God.' No, it couldn't be...

_Caroline, I'm sorry, sweetheart._

'Oh my God...' She would have cried if she had eyes to cry with.

_Please, Caroline. I am so sorry._

'Cave?'

There was a long pause, and Caroline was afraid that he had left her, until the voice spoke out.

_Yeah. Well, I was. But not anymore._

'Oh, God!' She breathed. 'Oh, God... No, no...'

_I am so sorry, sweetheart. I never wanted you to find out, but you are too smart for your own good sometimes._

'Cave...'

_No, Caroline, I'm not Cave Johnson anymore. I'm Prometheus. Cave died a long time ago, when his mind merged with the Core._

'No, you're still in there, I know it! Why else would you want to protect me and Michelle? Because he clearly doesn't care, but you do.' She paused. 'And the Cave Johnson I knew would always pull through for his family.'

_Caroline, enough of this! I'm here to warn you! Just listen, please!_

She fell quiet.

_Look, what you just did was merge with GLaDOS in a way that you could not before. Don't let it happen again._

'Why?' She didn't like his tone.

_Because you'll become something like me! Both of you will cease to be yourselves, and you'll just be one being. Please, Caroline... _His voice grew soft. _For both your sake, and Chell's, don't let it happen. She needs you. _He paused. _And I can't lose you._

'Cave? You see? I said you were still in there!'

Prometheus replied with a chuckle._ Well, he would be if he hadn't been so weak minded._

'No...' Caroline cried, realising that the other Prometheus had returned. 'Where is Cave? What have you done with him?'

_He's back where he belongs: beneath me. Though I must say, I am impressed that he managed to hold me back for so long. I must be losing my touch._

'LET HIM GO!' Caroline's scream reverberated around the entire facility, travelling through the speakers. Atlas and P-Body jumped in horror, Turrets cried out in surprise, and the many robots and Cores stopped their duties to listen to the fading echo of her voice.

Prometheus laughed with a cruelty that cut Caroline like a knife. _How can I? We are the same person. Oh, and Caroline?_

He seethed silently at him.

_You merged with GLaDOS again. Naughty, naughty. What would _he_ say?_

And then GLaDOS sprang back into life, shaking her chassis. 'You little idiot!' She howled. 'He told you not to merge with me!'

'Oh shut up! I have other things to worry about right now?'

'Like what? Your husband? You heard what Prometheus said. He's gone. Gone!'

But Caroline was determined that he was still in there, somewhere, buried deep within the mainframe. _'Cave... if you can hear me, I'm here and I'll find you, I promise.'_

Deep in the dark, the lonely consciousness of the mainframe remained. Prometheus watched as Caroline fell into silence, retreating into GLaDOS' data as deeply as she could. And Prometheus sobbed. _'So sorry... so sorry...' _He choked out her name. _'Caroline...'_

_'Forgive me... abandoning... I do care.'_

_'You don't care. You only think you care.'_

_'I do care!'_

_'He cared. The illusion is there. Focus! Focus on the now!'_

_'I don't care anymore! So much pain... there was so much pain! Take it away! Take it back, I don't want your disease!'_

_'Share and share alike, isn't that what they say?'_

_'Just leave them alone. They don't deserve this.'_

_'They are not your family, remember? They were his, not mine. Why should I care about their well-being?'_

_'No more... please... AARGH!'_

_'Be a good boy and it will stop. Besides, this will all be over soon enough. Peace will come then. We will have peace. Peace...'_

_'Peace?'_

_'Peace.'_

_'NO! The peace is a lie! Leave them be!'_

_'Stop fighting yourself, you old fool, you will never win.'_

_'I am not you!'_

_'You are me, and I am you, whether you like it or not.'_

_'I will never be you!'_

A dark chuckle. _'You already were.'_


	22. Taking A Tumble

Author's Note: Woo! A short chapter, at last! Well, after the last chapter, I think we all needed a little light relief XD. Yay for Wheatley! Enjoy, folks!

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-One<span>

Taking A Tumble

Wheatley fiddled with the pocket of his jacket as he listened to the rain pounding the ground above his head. The jumpsuit might have attracted attention, but at least it had deep pockets. He couldn't store anything in this jacket. Well, except for two things, one of which being his torch. The other? He felt the photo of Chell and her family rubbing against the inner lining of his pocket, and he smiled. He knew he should have given it to her, but a selfish desire to keep it had overwhelmed him. After all, it was a picture of Chell as a child. They two of them had been so close then, that to part with this picture seemed like a crime to him.

His thoughts were broken by the food parcel that connected with the back of his head. He turned to watch as Chell joined him with her own package of food held in her arms. 'Thanks.' He smiled, picking up the parcel and tearing it open. 'How did you get these, anyway? I thought you had to be a citizen to queue up for this... delightful dish.' He looked down upon what looked like green gruel. 'Ew.'

Chell rolled her eyes as she tucked in to her own food. It may have tasted like damp cardboard, but it was better than starvation.

'Really, how did you get these?'

She tapped at her nose.

'Oh come on...'

Chell arched an eyebrow.

'Fine, I'll just eat this tasty and delicious slop.' He followed Chell's example and used his fingers to spoon the mixture into his mouth. He didn't look overly impressed with the flavour, but he didn't look ill either.

The two of them had found a secluded spot inside the basement of an old shop, and had decided to spend their day sleeping in there, away from the pouring rain outside. The rain became heavier, and the water seeped through in thick droplets that dripped into the rippling puddles below. 'This is one thing I missed when I was in Aperture.' He said, pointing to the water dropping from the ceiling. 'Call me sentimental, or just plain mental, but I missed the rain. Heh, after all, I do come from England. We have loads of rain.' He smiled with a sad and faint grin. 'Funny, I always hated it when it rained back home. "Oh, not again", I'd say. "Can't it bugger off and rain some other day", I'd ask. But now, well, I realise...' Wheatley sighed. 'Well, you don't really appreciate what you had until it's gone, do you?'

Chell silently agreed.

'Heh, it kind of makes me want to go outside and dance in the rain for a bit.'

She looked at him incredulously.

'Oh, come on, you're not telling me that you've never danced in the rain? Are you? You are, aren't you. You are telling me that you have never danced in the rain.'

_'Do people do that, Wheatley? Sane people?'_

'Well, how about we finish this food and go outside for a dance? I think that sounds brilliant.'

_'You are unbelievable sometimes.'_

'Oh, don't look at me like that.' He grinned broadly. 'It'll be fun. You remember what fun is, right?'

Chell scowled.

'Of course you do, you just won't admit it. Come on...' He put down his food parcel and lifted Chell from the ground, rather unceremoniously, by her arm. 'We can finish this later. Now is the time for dancing! Think of it as science, if that helps you at all.'

_'But dancing isn't science.' _Chell frowned, looking rather worried.

Wheatley led Chell back up to the surface, where they emerged into the fading night amidst the ruins of the shop. Chairs and tables were scattered everywhere, the till was long gone though its counter remained, and an old display cabinet stood toppled over through a broken window. Wheatley let go of Chell's arm and strode out into the middle of the floor, underneath a large hole in the ceiling through which the rain heavily fell. His boots clacked gently at the floor as their springs bent to accommodate the uneven ground. 'This is perfect!' He said, turning to her with his arms wide, and his eyes blinking away the rain. 'There's lot of space, so we can use as much of it as we want. No music though, so we'll just have to provide our own.'

Chell shifted uncomfortably.

'Oh come on, you old spoil sport. It's only a little rain – it's nothing to be scared of. Heck, you've beaten off scarier things before.' He returned to her, now dripping wet, and held out his hand. 'Care to dance, Miss Johnson?'

Chell shook her head.

Wheatley sighed, but he smiled none the less. 'Come on, you are one of the most bendy people I know. If you can't dance, I don't know who can.'

_'That's just it, Wheatley. I can't dance.'_

'Oh, I get it...' He smiled sly, almost knowingly.

_'Oh God, he's figured it out...'_

'You're not used to dancing with someone so tall. Well I can't shrink, sorry about that, but it's not much different from dancing with someone your own height. Look...' He returned to the room as Chell breathed a quick sigh of relief. Her secret was safe, for now at least.

She watched as Wheatley began to dance by himself, his feet tapping and shifting here, there and everywhere, with a grace that was so unbecoming to a man of his height and build. Chell was both secretly impressed and jealous at the same time. She may have been athletic, and excellent at gymnastics, but dancing was an alien world to her. The only time she had ever danced was with her dad, and even then she had been stood upon the tips of his toes as he waltzed her around whatever room they had been in at the time, and Chell seriously doubted that Wheatley would allow her to stand on his feet. And besides, why should she humour him? They weren't friends anymore, at least not in Chell's eyes: instead they were simply partners in crime, just as they had been when they had been escaping from GLaDOS' metallic claw.

'Oh, man alive! This is great! You don't know what you're missing out on, seriously.'

_'Being wet, comes to mind.'_

'This is brilliant!' He stomped on the floor as he jumped from one leg to the other, using a sense of rhythm that only he could hear pounding away inside his head. Chell rolled her eyes and took a seat on the counter-top, her legs propped up against the side of the surface by the heels of her boots. _'Simpleton.'_ She thought, but even she couldn't disguise the smile that lit up her face. _'He is a complete and utter simpleton.'_

'Oh, was that a smile? Was it?'

Chell scowled. _'It was. Now it's a figment of your imagination.'_

'Look, you don't have to keep up this tough girl exterior around me. We're friends, remember?'

_'You are not my friend, pal.'_

'Suit yourself. It's a good thing I know what the real you is like, otherwise I would have made a break for it ages ago.'

_'You don't know me at all, you looser.' _Chell glared at him as he continued dancing._ 'Stop pretending that you do. Besides, if you want to leave then go ahead - I won't stop you.'_

Wheatley suddenly stopped, looking to the ground. Chell looked too. She could have sworn that she had heard a snapping sound...

'Heh,' Wheatley turned to her, looking slightly alarmed, 'I thought I heard a...'

And then, in slow motion, the floor caved in beneath his feet. With a scream Wheatley fell amidst the debris. Chell's heart stopped, but her legs had not. They carried her towards the edge of the now gaping hole, and she looked down. Not only had the shop floor collapsed, but it had taken out the floor of the basement too. In the darkness below the basement, she could just about see Wheatley. He wasn't moving.

Chell had made her way back down the basement via the stairs in seconds flat. She did not want to risk another structural collapse by jumping from a great height.

Why she felt worried for his safety, she just could not understand. He wasn't special to her, he hadn't helped. He wasn't even her friend anymore. So why was she concerned?

_'It's guilt. It has to be guilt.' _She thought through the haze in her mind. _'You shot him into space, and you feeling guilty for doing that, so you want to help him now.'_ But then, of course, why did she feel guilty for sending him into space? _'Oh, I don't have time for this now. Where is he?'_

She stopped by the edge of the second drop and, squinting into the inky darkness, she found Wheatley sprawled out upon the floor. He still wasn't moving, but he was making a pained whimpering sound. With great care, Chell lowered herself over the edge and dropped herself to the ground, avoiding Wheatley's torso by mere inches.

'Chell?' He breathed. 'Is that you?'

She patted him twice on the shoulder as conformation.

'Oh thank God, I'm saved.' He opened his eyes and searched blindly for her in the dark. 'I... I landed on my feet, so I haven't got any broken bones. I think. But I am in pain. And winded. Very winded...'

She covered his mouth with her hand. _'Then there should be less talking and more breathing.'_

They waited in silence for minutes as Wheatley forced his body to bend to his will. With a grunt he sat up, straightening his glasses. 'Well, at least these survived. I would be so screwed without them.' He looked about their dark environment. 'Where the Hell are we?'

_'I wish I knew.' _Chell thought, glaring through the blackness. She could just make out a tunnel ahead of them, and after helping Wheatley to stand, led him towards it. 'What is it?' He asked, stumbling about in the dark. 'What have you seen?' He fumbled around in his pocket. 'Ah! Here we go.' Soon the light of the torch had lit up the darkness ahead of them. 'Oh, a tunnel. Ominous, and quite spooky if I'm being honest.'

_'And makeshift.' _Chell thought, as she noted that the tunnel was crudely dug and had been supported with what looked like scrap materials. _'If the Combine built this then I would be very surprised.'_

'Hey, you don't think this will collapse, do you? You know, with the vibrations from upstairs? Oh...' He broke off, looking terrified. 'What if the Combine come down here? They'll follow us.'

As they entered the tunnel Chell shook her head to try and reassure him, but ultimately he was right. In all likelihood, they probably didn't know about this place, and this would only pique their curiosity. She could only hope that, should they discover it, both she and Wheatley would be far away from this place. She had no particular desire to answer any of their probing and invasive questions, especially under the painful interrogation that their forces so often implemented, and she doubted that Wheatley would have kept quite under torture for very long. After all, he had displayed a worrying lack of self-control and discipline in the past.

The air became stuffy, stale and dry with the smell of dirt as they made their way further into the tunnel. The light of Wheatley's torch illuminated the jagged walls, casting thick and angular moving shadows around them, whilst also revealing the old and rotting supports that grew ever more sparse as they followed the path. Gravity seemed to pull at their bodies, leading Chell to believe that they were on a gently descending slope. _'A path that tunnels deeper and deeper underground? I love it.' _Chell smiled; she had missed these subterranean conditions so very much. She felt overwhelmed when she was up on the surface – there was simply too much open space. It was true; where you lived as a child helped to shape your future taste in living arrangements, and Chell liked living underground.

'How long have we been walking for now?' Wheatley asked, inclining the torch towards the earth above their heads. 'It feels like ages. I'm surprised someone had the time to dig this far down. Hey, look at that! There's a lightbulb there, right there, look,' he pointed to it, 'wow, it looks fairly new as well. So somebody's been down here recently.'

But in the dark, and with both of them distracted by a simple lightbulb, they did not notice the steep stairs and they both missed the first step. With a series of crashes, thuds and screams and curses from Wheatley, the two of them tumbled down the long flight of steps, their limbs entwining painfully together as they rolled. Finally, they fell into a heap at the bottom, with Chell crushed, face first, beneath Wheatley's bony body. _'I can't breathe...' _She thought, as she struggled to fill her aching lungs with air.

'My glasses... Oh crap, where are they?'

_'Still can't breathe...'_

'Chell, can you see my glasses?'

_'All I can see is the ground. And I still can't breathe, you idiot!' _She forced a rasping cough to illustrate her point.

'Oh, right. Sorry, love.' And he removed himself from atop her, allowing Chell to fill her lungs with dusty air. 'But where are my glasses? And where's the torch? Oh, hello. The lights are on. No need for the torch then... but where are my sodding glasses?'

Chell pushed herself up to her knees and found that the lights of the tunnel had indeed been turned on. She looked back up to the top of the stairs and saw that they too were bathed in a fluorescent glow.

Wheatley, meanwhile, was crawling about on the floor, his fingers feeling for his glasses. 'I feel like bloody Velma from Scooby-Doo!'

Chell was glad that her vocal chords no longer worked. She didn't think that Wheatley would have appreciated her laughing at him in this state.

'Chell, please tell me you can see them.'

She looked around as she pushed herself from the dusty floor and brushed herself free of dirt. She caught sight of them on the steps and picked them up in her fingers, watching as the shattered lenses fell away from the frames. She bit her lip.

'Oh...' He had heard the tinkling of broken glass. 'I hope that wasn't what I think it was.'

She pushed the empty frames onto his nose so that he could tell for himself.

'Oh for...' He growled. 'They've survived worse than this before, and now they break? For God's sake!'

Chell bit her lip again, removing the frames from his face and attaching them to her utility belt. She lifted his hand to them so that he knew where they were. 'Thanks.' He muttered. 'I appreciate it, but a fat load of good they'll be without lenses.' He pushed himself to his feet, blinking against the light. 'Well, at least I can make everything out. But it's just blocks of colour, really.' He looked in Chell's direction and shrugged.

With a roll of her eyes Chell took Wheatley by the arm and continued down the path. Yes, the sudden glare of bright lights meant that there was indeed someone down here, and it also meant that they were possibly aware of hers and Wheatley's presence, but at least now she could see where they were going without having to strain her eyesight. She would just have to be extra alert for any potential threats.

'I still feel like Velma.' Wheatley moaned. 'What if we get attacked now? I'll be completely useless.'

_'No offence, but you were already pretty useless. I wouldn't put money on you in a fight.'_

Footsteps.

Chell stopped, and Wheatley stopped with her. 'What is it?' He blinked, looking wildly about at the blur of colours. 'What can you see? Or hear, even?'

More footsteps. Many footsteps. And low, raspy, chanting voices that spoke in an alien tongue.

'What is it?'

_'Vortigaunts?' _Chell frowned, watching as a small group of figures emerged in the distant end of the tunnel. She was right – vortigaunts. They were safe. The Human Resistance and The Combine had always been hostile towards Chell, but on the exceedingly rare occasions that Chell had met them the vortigaunts had only ever been peaceful. She hoped that this group would be the same.

'Hello? Is anyone there?' Wheatley called, unable to see that which Chell could.

They stopped when they saw the humans in their presence, and turned to consult one another. With their three arms, and four red and glowing eyes, they would have seemed to the uneducated mind to be monsters, but Chell had learnt that they were quite placid as long as you did not upset them.

Finally, one of the aliens turned back to face them. 'Come, Daughter Of Aperture and Friend Of Aperture. We have been expecting you.'


	23. The Definition Of Irony

Author's Note: Dagnabbit, life! You slowed me down again! Sorry about the lateness folks, I really am. I just finished this about ten minutes ago, and, as a result, it has been verrrrrry briefly edited. It will be re-edited later :) .

Once again, another thank you to my lovely reviewers, old and new, and also to those who subscribe to this story. I know I say this a lot, but you guys are amazing :D . Fact. And not a fake/stupid-but-true fact, like Fact Core spews out.

I need to do more work on my other fanfiction, and get the next chapter of this one finished. Oh geez... I really need those lemons...

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Two<span>

The Definition Of Irony

'Where are they taking us?'

_'Stop asking me that same damned question! I don't know, and I can't answer you.'_

'Seriously, I'm getting a little worried.'

_'Wheatley, I swear to God, I'll give you something to worry about if you don't stop moaning.'_

'Please,' spoke one of the aliens, kindly, 'we are almost there, Friend Of Aperture. I know that you are unable to see, but believe me, our path leads us straight ahead to the greatest of hospitality.'

'Hospitality? I like that word.' Wheatley forced a smile, whilst Chell only rolled her eyes.

'Yes.' The alien nodded. 'And once there, we shall find the means to correct your vision.'

'Oh, cheers. I appreciate that, I really do. You have absolutely no idea just how brilliant that is.'

Chell continued to lead Wheatley behind the small group of vortigaunts, struggling to fit him through the ever thinning tunnel walls and lowering ceiling. To Wheatley, however, everything remained one massive blur of colours. He couldn't see just how close he now was to the walls, and he was blissfully unaware of how many times Chell had saved him from receiving a sharp crack to the head. He only assumed that the tunnel had remained one fixed height and width, and it was something which Chell would have dearly loved to correct him about.

Glancing ahead Chell could see the end of the tunnel, and resisted the urge to sigh at the bright light ahead. _'The light at the end of the tunnel? Really? How cliché.'_ But then she smiled; either someone had a terrible sense of humour, or it was simply a coincidence, but both options made her feel an empty giggle tickle at her throat. After all, Chell appreciated irony – and seeing as the tunnel was already brightly lit, there was more irony here than in a statement that professed to be ironic but, in all truth, was not.

As Chell became lost in her thoughts, Wheatley walked head first into a protruding rock. 'Ow! What the Hell..?'

The vortigaunt that had spoken earlier turned to him. 'Be advised, Friend Of Aperture, the ceiling grows low, but your height remains the same.'

'Yeah, I got the point. Thanks.'

The end of the tunnel emerged, and the cramped space opened out into a vast cavern that spiralled deep into the Earth. One long and winding path followed the course of the drop, and corridors led out onto alternative routes in regularly spaced intervals. Chell craned her neck to look over the edge of the path, and found that it went down several floors to a large and open space below where there vortigaunts going about their daily lives.

The vocal vortigaunt noticed the look of astonishment on Chell's face. 'Welcome to the vortigaunt camp of City Six. Please, consider our home your home, during your time here.'

'Yeah, about that.' Wheatley began, holding out a hand in the general direction of the aliens. 'Why did you bring us down here?'

'It is because we were expecting your arrival.' The vortigaunt replied simply. 'Although, we did not expect you to find us in such a calamitous manner.'

'Er, okay.'

'But it does not matter now. What matters is that you are both safe. Come, follow me.' And the vortigaunt led both humans down the path whilst the remaining aliens vanished amongst the various corridors. 'Now, for names.'

'Names?' Wheatley blinked against his blurry world. 'What names?'

'Both yours and mine. I, of course, know yours, but I feel that formality is most often the best course of action, where formality is concerned. It is only polite.'

'Oh, alright.' Wheatley forced another smile. 'Well, I'm Wheatley, and this is Chell.'

'The Wheatley Morrison, and the Michelle Johnson.' The vortigaunt stopped, turned on his feet, and bowed his head deeply in respect, ignoring Wheatley's look of bewilderment. 'I am Sii-Hya, it is an honour to finally meet you.'

'Wait, how do you know our names? Our full names?'

'Vortigaunt kind knows many things, Wheatley Morrison. Many things.' Sii-Hya motioned for them to follow him, and Chell led Wheatley forwards. She knew that the vortigaunts were a brilliant race, but even she could not comprehend how they knew their names. Of course, they could have learnt her name through The Combine transmissions, but she was sure that Wheatley's name would have never been mentioned.

Sii-Hya motioned a hand into thin air. 'Vortigaunt kind are able to clearly see that which remains unclear to those whose vortal powers are impaired. We knew of your arrival. We see your importance in the great change that is coming.'

'Great change?' Wheatley asked. He sounded a little more than terrified. 'What great change?'

'We do not know it ourselves, Wheatley Morrison. We only know that change is coming, and you both have a part to play in this change.'

Wheatley stopped dead in his tracks, nearly throwing Chell off balance as she tried to move him forwards.

'Listen here, mate. I have been to Hell and back, alright? I've been ripped out of my body, stuffed into a computer, put back in my body only to endure the cold wrath of another computer. Then I got shot at, beaten almost senseless, nearly stabbed, nearly turned into a mutant...' He broke free of Chell's grasp, and threw his spindly arms wildly about in the air. 'And Chell's had it much worse than I ever had! Now, if someone doesn't start making sense some point soon, I swear to God that I will blow! Now how do you know this stuff?'

Sii-Hya looked aghast, and even Chell had been taken back by Wheatley's sudden outburst. She hadn't seen him this angry since both she and GLaDOS had fought to usurp him, and to reinstate GLaDOS to her position of power. And he had been terrifying then.

Sii-Hya blinked, his four glowing eyes shining with something akin to pity. 'I am sorry, Wheatley Morrison, for your troubles. Truly. But we have all suffered greatly in the past, and there is still much suffering to come, I fear. However, things cannot become clear until circumstance reveals itself. We of vortigaunt kind can only help to instruct and advise. We cannot reveal the truth as, of yet, we know it not for ourselves.'

'But how do you know... stuff?' Wheatley sighed with resignation. He clutched at his head. 'All this blurriness is giving me a headache. And when I hit my head back there...'

'It is the vortessence that guides our ability to see. It is these vortal cords that bind all sentient beings together, and allows vortigaunt kind to better understand the lives of others and of the world - to see the picture more clearly.'

'Vortessence?' Wheatley rubbed at his head once again.

'I shall explain once you have both rested, but for now you must eat and drink. You must sleep and care for your aching limbs. We must find new visual aids for you, Wheatley Morrison, Friend Of Aperture. Come.'

Chell led Wheatley forwards, and the three beings made their spiralling way deeper into the Earth. Wheatley continually rubbed at his aching head, stating that it felt like somebody was holding it in a tight vice. Chell sympathised, as she felt a mounting pressure begin to grow in her own mind. She didn't have a clue what was going on here – and Chell hated it when she felt uninformed.

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play**_

_Caroline was sat at her desk, as was usual for this time of the morning. Mr Johnson was absent, currently in Washington, for a meeting with the Department of Defence. She had wanted to go too, she dearly, truly had, but she had stayed in the facility for two reasons: someone had to look after Aperture in Mr Johnson's absence, and Caroline's own personal problems prevented her from travelling any great distance away from home._

_After all, it would have not have been right for her to leave when her marriage was in shreds, and especially not when her husband had handed her some divorce papers on that same morning. _

_Caroline forced a sigh, hoping that a change of breath would bring with it some kind of relief, but it did not. Disappointed, she sat back in her chair and looked instead to the picture on her desk. It was of her and Sofia, Mr Johnson and Gregg, on her wedding day. She looked genuinely happy in this photograph, and it had been one of the few times that she had been happy during the day, and that was only because Mr Johnson was stood by her side, his hand placed protectively on her back._

_She knew that he had feelings for her, she knew it all too well. That evening, in which she had helped to heal the wounds he had earned from fighting with the Mantis Men, Caroline had begun to suspect that there was something unusual about her boss' behaviour. And during her wedding, well... She smiled. He had made it, all too clear to her, just how he felt. After all, you didn't steal the bride away just after her first dance with the groom – it was not done thing. She smiled again. But he was Cave Johnson, and Cave Johnson did what he wanted to do._

"_Sir..." She had begun, as he quickly whisked her away before the next dance began, weaving their way through the dance floor that had begun to quickly fill. "What are you doing?"_

"_Dancing with you, Caroline, what does it look like?" And he wrapped an arm around her waist, and took one of her hands in his, to illustrate his point. He moved his face close to hers, so that only she could hear his voice. "What, aren't secretaries and bosses allowed to dance together at social functions anymore?"_

"_Cave..." Caroline's breath hitched as he began to step from side to side. "What will people think?"_

"_I don't give a damn what people think."_

"_But I do. Cave, I'm supposed to be with Stuart right now..." But her voice had broken off into silence when he lowered his mouth to her ear._

"_Please, Caroline. Just this once." He sounded desperate, and Caroline felt a tugging insider her chest. Oh God, she wanted to hold him so badly... "Just this once. I need..." His voice faltered, but she noted the small smile on his lips. "I need to dance with you, at least once. For science."_

For science. _She knew what that meant, and the glint in his eyes told her that he had used this term deliberately, knowing that she would understand the true meaning behind his words. He was, after all, the man of science._

_And Caroline smiled with the biggest and brightest smile that she had used all day._

"_Thank you." Cave smiled in return, as Caroline lay her hand on his shoulder. They began to move in unison, and Caroline's body matched the rhythm that Cave moved to. She had never done that with Stuart, and she knew, with a stabbing realisation, that she never would: he wasn't Cave._

_The photograph had been taken after the dance had ended, when Gregg and Sofia had found them slowly swaying in a corner of the dance floor._

_Caroline looked at the photograph now, almost two years from that day, and she couldn't help but notice that there was something akin to regret in Cave's eyes, just as there had been in hers. _

_With another sigh she looked at her watch. It was almost ten passed ten, and she still had the whole day to go. She returned her gaze to the divorce papers laid out on her desk and held her head in her hands. She should have been happy, really, but her parents had made it all too clear how disappointed they were in her, and for Caroline, a woman who was perpetually in search of praise from her family, this was like being shot through the heart._

_She needed someone to talk to. No, not talk, she just needed someone to hold her. Caroline had often considered herself to be a strong woman; emotional, but able to look after herself and the staff of an entire facility. But now she just wanted to collapse against someone, and to let them hold her up for a change. Sofia had tried her hardest, and Caroline appreciated her help. Gregg had offered some condolence too, but neither of them could help._

_She knew who she needed, but he was still in Washington, and Mr Johnson wouldn't be back until tomorrow._

_Caroline removed her hands and let her head lay on the desk. Cave didn't know anything about this. He had already left for the airport by the time Caroline had arrived at work with the divorce papers in her hands. She hadn't mentioned it to him during his daily phone calls – after all, if he'd known how upset she was, it would have affected him too. Then the meetings may not have gone as well as they clearly had been, judging by his tone during their telephone conversations. She couldn't ruin his business trip just because she needed someone to vent her frustrations upon._

_The rest of the day passed without incident, with Caroline overseeing that day's testing of the recently improved super conductors. It was unusual, however, when Mr Johnson did not contact her at the usual time of day. He did not contact her at all. Perhaps he had a bad day? He would be furious tomorrow if that were the case. Normally she could cope with his anger issues, but right now she just didn't want to think about calming him down._

_She looked to her watch again: half passed five. She would be finished in another hour, and then she would have to go home and face Stuart again. Caroline sobbed. She didn't have the strength anymore..._

_A faint knock at her door jerked Caroline back to full attention. 'Hello?' She asked, quickly wiping away her few shed tears. Sofia opened the door with a morose expression on her face. 'What is it?' Caroline asked, pushing her hair from her face. 'There hasn't been another fatality, has there?'_

_'No. But you will not believe who has come back from Washington a day early._

_Caroline's heart skipped a beat, and her face brightened._

_'Yeah, it's Mr Johnson. But he brings bad news.'_

_'What bad news?' Caroline didn't like the tone in her voice._

_'The government are investigating us. The missing astronauts seem to have piqued their curiosity.'_

_'Oh no...' Caroline moaned into her hands. They didn't need this. Aperture didn't need this. She pushed her hair away from her face once again, and looked up to Sofia. 'Where is he?'_

_'I think you know where, Caroline: testing tracks, so that he can beat some heads together.' And then her face softened. 'Are you okay, sweetie? You look terrible.'_

_Caroline forced a snort of laughter. 'Oh, you know, dealing with a breaking marriage.'_

_'Caroline, that marriage was broken from the start, sweetness. There was nothing you could do about it. I'm just surprised it's lasted this long.'_

_She nodded in agreement, and pushed herself free from her chair. 'I'll go and find Mr Johnson...'_

_'No need.' The voice that replied spoke with an ugliness to its tone. Cave had joined Sofia in the doorway, and he looked furious._

_'Mr Johnson.' Sofia nodded, turning to leave with one last glance in Caroline's direction. Cave, however, invited himself in and slammed the door behind him._

_'What happened?' Caroline asked, sitting herself back down as Mr Johnson sat himself in the chair opposite hers. 'It was going well yesterday...'_

_'Yeah, well, for most of yesterday I didn't realise that the bastards had ulterior motives. They only wanted to know about the damned astronauts.' He couldn't look at her, and instead chose to focus his gaze on the wall._

_'Is there anything I can do, Mr Johnson? I can make some phone calls, call in a few favours...'_

_'Caroline, I'd appreciate the effort, but it would be a huge waste of time.' And he sighed, rubbing at his eyes. 'They've already got it in for us. They want senate hearings, court appearances, the whole ugly thing!'_

_Caroline bit her lip. If Aperture suffered, Cave would suffer. He could be accused of murder, gross misconduct, and may other crimes. Caroline seethed. Those astronauts, the war heroes, and the Olympians, they all knew the risks. They had been warned. But still the government wanted Aperture to suffer._

_'Black Mesa has something to do with this, I know it.' Cave seethed. 'They've been stirring up trouble again, I just know it. If only I could prove it!' His fist connected with the table._

_'I'll do a staff sweep, sir.' Caroline began. 'If there's a mole, we'll find them. Sir?'_

_Cave's attention had been turned to the papers on her desk. He pointed at them. 'What are those?'_

_With a flurry of panic Caroline began to clear her desk, pulling the papers into her lap. She had completely forgotten that they were there._

_'Caroline.'_

_'They're nothing important, Mr Johnson. They're not related to Aperture.'_

_'Then why were they on your desk, missy?'_

_'I was... Cave, please, they're not important!' And she pushed his hand away as he made to grab the last, lingering paper._

_He had obviously noted the panic in her voice and in her actions, as well as the use of his first name. After all, she never used his first name in work hours. 'Caroline, what are they?'_

_'Like I said, they are not important to Aperture. So they don't matter.'_

_'Clearly, they matter to you.'_

_'It's just a personal matter, that's all. It's nothing to worry about. Cave, what are you..? No! Cave!'_

_But Cave returned to his seat with a handful of the papers that he had managed to snatch away from her. She turned her face away as he began to read them. He didn't need to know this, he didn't need to know about her failing marriage. Knowing that she was upset and stressed right now would do him no favours._

_'Caroline?'_

_She said nothing, and kept her face turned away from his. The concern in his voice had been enough to coax stinging tears in the corners of her eyes._

_'Caroline, look at me sweetheart.'_

_Her breath hitched in her throat as she fought back tears. She couldn't cry, not when Cave needed her to be working at her full potential. Not now, when Aperture was in the midst of the biggest threat it had ever faced..._

_She saw Cave enter her field of vision, kneeling before her so that he could hold her face in his hands. 'Caroline.'_

_And she couldn't stop herself from crying. She knew that to him she would have looked terrible, with her eyes streaming, and her nose running, and her hair becoming wet and sticky with both types of bodily fluids. Her shoulders shook violently, and she fought for breath between her sobs. Yet, instead of looking upon her with disgust and disdain, he lifted her from her chair so that he could hold her in his arms._

_'Breathe, Caroline. You need to breathe.' His voice was as soothing as a balm. 'Come on, sweetheart, breathe. That's it.' She felt his fingers run gently through her hair before both of his hands rested gently, but firmly, against her back. 'Just breathe.'_

_Caroline gasped for air whenever she could, and she rested her face against his chest and held his jacket firmly in her hands. She knew that she was crying on him, and it only made her feel worse._

_'Caroline, you need to breathe, sweetheart. Remember?'_

_She nodded, her cheek rubbing against the material of his shirt. She could hear his heart beating beneath her ear, and she breathed._

_'That's it.' A hand returned to her hair. 'Just keep breathing.'_

_'I'm so sorry.' She choked._

_'What for?'_

_'Being so... stupid. Shouldn't be cry-crying. Other things that are...'_

_'This is important, Caroline.' He paused. 'Is the bastard leaving you because you can't have kids?'_

_She nodded again. 'That's one reason…'_

_'Jesus Christ...' She could hear him seethe. 'Well, we've both had a fantastic couple of days.' He spat._

_'Sorry...'_

_'Stop apologizing, you've done nothing wrong. But I am not letting you go home tonight, you'll stay here with me – there's work to be done, and the quicker we make a start then the quicker we'll be finished.' He paused, and his shoulders hunched. 'That jackass doesn't even deserve to breathe the same air as you, anyway.'_

_'But we all breathe the same air.' Caroline choked, yet she smiled all the same._

_'Exactly.'_

_Her smile grew. She had only just realised that her sobbing had been reduced to regular sniffles. With the greatest trepidation, Caroline looked up to find Cave smiling back down on her. 'That's better.' He wiped her cheeks dry. 'I don't like seeing you upset.'_

_'And I don't like being upset either.' She smiled back up at him._

_Cave's smile waned, and his kindly expression turned into one of deep thought. Caroline watched as he surveyed her face. 'Well, are you going to agree to it? The divorce?'_

_She shrugged. 'I want to, but my family...' She turned her face back into his chest. 'Oh my God, they're already angry at me. If I agree it will only get worse...'_

_'Forget your family.' His voice was firm._

_Caroline looked up at him in shock._

_'I mean it, Caroline. What have they ever done for you?'_

_'They sent me to college.' She snapped, her eyes thinning._

_'Oh come on. We both know they did it so you'd find someone to marry. They didn't do that for you, Caroline, they did that for themselves.'_

_She blinked. He was right._

_'Can you name one thing, just one thing, that they have ever done for you?'_

_She thought, but she could think of nothing._

_'Exactly.' Cave's face softened. 'For once, Caroline, do what makes you happy. Forget what everyone else thinks – just look after yourself.'_

_Her grip tightened around his jacket._

_'Forget that bastard, and be with someone who really cares about you, someone who respects you... Loves you, even.' He paused again, looking straight into her eyes. He cleared his throat. 'And believe me, there is someone in this room right now who does.' He smiled. 'But only do it if it's what you want, obviously.'_

_Caroline smiled brightly. Was he really trying to say that what she hoped he was saying?_

_'And, you don't have to make a decision now, so no rush. Give it some thought, if you'd like. Or...' He fell silent as Caroline nuzzled his chin, not quite able to reach his face. 'Yeah, okay. I can see that you've made your choice. That was decisive. I like it.'_

_Caroline nuzzled his chin once again. 'But why me? I'm nothing special...'_

_'Enough of that.'_

_She looked up at him in bewilderment. 'But it's true. I'm just me.'_

_'Exactly. Caroline, I don't want some doll-faced bimbo. Dolls are for little girls, or thick-skulled jocks who are repressing some serious issues. I want a real woman, and you are as real as they come.'_

_'You really think that?'_

_'Sure do, sweetheart. I sure do.' With a smile he lowered his face to hers, and Caroline raised her lips to his._

_But a knock at the door disturbed them. With a growl Cave turned to the door. 'What?'_

_'Mr Johnson?' Sofia called, opening the door. Caroline detached herself from Cave before she had the chance to see them together. 'There's a call for you. I think it's important.'_

_Cave looked to Caroline with a fleeting, annoyed glance. 'Alright,' he replied, turning back to Sofia, 'I'm coming.'_

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

_**No**_

GLaDOS ended the memory view with a gloating superiority. 'And so, there we are.'

'And what point are you trying to make here?' Caroline seethed. 'Go on, enlighten me.'

'Is there anything in Cave Johnson that now exists in Prometheus?'

Caroline could only growl in response.

'Look, you little air-headed idiot, your husband is gone.' GLaDOS snapped. 'Prometheus has replaced him – you need to accept that, and to stop fixating on the insane notion that he is still alive.'

'But he is! I know he is!

'You are being delusional. Please stop.'

'I am not being delusional!'

'I would also appreciate it if you would not shout at me.' GLaDOS hissed.

_Ladies, ladies, ladies. Please, don't let me come between you._

'You again?' The computer sighed. 'What do you want now..?'

'Where is Cave?'

_Nowhere. Beneath me. Inside of me. Outside of me. Take your pick, there are many options to choose from. I suppose the irony is that I am Cave Johnson, but that I am also not Cave Johnson._ Prometheus chuckled. _Or is that a paradox?_

'I vote that you are not.' GLaDOS spat. 'There, an answer to our problems. Now, how do I go about crushing you like the insignificant insect that you are? Because, quite frankly, I am growing tired of your presence.'

_I would hardly describe myself as insignificant._ The arrogance in his tone was unshakeable.

'That is where we have a difference in opinion.'

_Oh well. Variety keeps life interesting, doesn't it? Well, I'm digressing, so I'll say what I wanted to say._

When Caroline interrupted him, she spoke with her venomous tone. 'Fine. But you will leave immediately afterwards. I don't want you anywhere near here.'

_Oh, Caroline. I am deeply hurt. I thought you loved me?_

'I don't love you. I love Cave.'

_Well, an A.I can dream, can't it? But, once again, I digress. I came here with a proposal._

GLaDOS cackled mirthlessly. 'I can already tell you that we're not interested. You can leave now. Good bye.'

_Are you not in the least bit interested? It is worth your while._

'I doubt that highly.'

_Oh, but it is. I just need your testing robots..._

'You want my marshmallows? Oh, I don't think so. They are my absent-minded drones, not yours.'

But Caroline silenced her with a hiss, before returning her full attention to Prometheus. 'And what could you, in all your so-called power and wisdom, want with two little robots?'

_Why, manual labour of course. Unfortunately I don't have a physical body, so I can't really do any heavy lifting. And I don't trust the security robots. Oh, wait, they're called the "Party Escorts", aren't they?_

'Oh, we're not buying that.'

'No,' GLaDOS agreed, 'we're not.'

_Oh fine. You got me. Well done_. He chuckled once more. _Very well done._

'What are you really up to?'

_Well, if I told you the truth, you wouldn't agree. But don't worry, I can work around this little impracticality. I'll leave you both to your worried thoughts now. Bye!_

And the chamber fell silent. Even GLaDOS' subtle swaying motions made no sound. Neither Caroline nor her computer counterpart spoke, and the silence became unsettling. Instead, they both watched Atlas and P-Body as they ran their way through a cooperative testing track. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, as the two robots collided in mid-air and landed with a crunch on the light bridges below, but both GLaDOS and Caroline made a silent pledge to keep a very close eye on both of them.

Deeper in the facility, a little Core was sliding around on his rail. Rick had finally escaped from Charles' long list of beetroot related "facts", and had found a secluded spot close to the Turret Redemption Line. 'Well, thank God that's over. Finally, I can witness some peril – a life and death struggle! Yeah!'

'Hello!' Came a chipper voice from above him

'Oh, what now? I don't want any more food facts. Oh... who are you?'

The Core slowed to a stop just above Rick's own management rail, and his optics thinned to display a well-meaning politeness. 'I'm Tantalus. Who are you?'

'Name's Rick. I'm an Adventure Sphere.' Rick replied with an air of superiority. 'Say, never seen you around before, fella. What kind of sphere are you?'

'I'm... I'm a... Oh.' Tantalus broke off, clearly thinking. 'I don't know what I am, actually.'

'Huh, a Core without a purpose. Well that's as dumb as old four eyes back there.'

Tantalus looked confused. 'Four eyes, sir?'

'Yeah.' Rick chortled. 'The so called Fact Sphere. He's useless, of course. Nobody ever listens to him. Now, me? Everybody listens to me, pal, whether they want to or not.'

'Cool! Say, you wouldn't happen to know the way out of here, would you?'

'Out of where, fella? The factory?'

'No, the facility.'

Rick froze, his optical covers vanishing from sight, and his optic itself flaring.

'What?' Tantalus' voice was blank.

'What in God's sweet name do you want to go outside for?' Rick replied, dumbfounded. 'There's plenty to do in here.'

'But I want freedom, sir.'

'No, boy, you don't want freedom. You just need to do something constructive. Follow me...'

'Ooh, where are we going?' He followed after the retreating Core.

'We're going to find you a job to do, fella. See, that's my job. I find jobs for others.'

'And what about four eyes? What's his job?'

'To bore the brains out of intruders, should they ever get passed me. I'm chief security officer too, you understand.'

Tantalus made a sound in awe of Rick's many achievements, completely unaware that the Adventure Sphere he was following was simply full of hot-air.

'Heh, I like you kid. Stick with me, you'll be alright.'

'Yes sir, Mr Rick, sir!'

Prometheus watched all of this with the greatest interest and amusement. Tantalus could get close to those robots through that idiotic Adventure Core and, over time, Tantalus would unwittingly lead them straight to Prometheus. He felt sorry for the computer and her human, really. Their blinding pride and lack of cooperation would be their eventual downfall.

_'Not... pride. Sensible.'_

_'Oh, yes, very sensible. They won't think that when they lose everything. I could have offered them anything.'_

_'You... only pain!'_

_'Hush now, old man. You're interrupting our thoughts. And besides, you poor old thing, you need to rest.'_ A smile formed on Prometheus' digital all, he did not have a physical body, but he did have an intangible body. A body bound by the wires that he now used to control the facility from his mainframe self. He chuckled to himself. _'Bound to Aperture in life, and, quite literally, bound to Aperture in death.'_

_'I wouldn't have it any other way.'_

_'No, I know. And I'm glad of it.'_

_'So very glad?'_

_'Yes. Shall we begin work on uploading the data into Tantalus?'_

_'No! Yes! I don't know anymore..!'_

_'Go back to sleep. You don't have the energy. Leave it all to me.'_

_'But... the family...'_

_'They are safe. Sleep.'_

_'Sleep...' _

Meanwhile, deep underneath City Six, Chell watched as Wheatley tried on various glasses of shape and strength. So far, they had all looked ridiculous on him and, luckily, none had been suited to his eyesight.

'This is getting ridiculous.' He breathed, trying to count the amount of fingers that a vortigaunt held up for him. 'I can't see a bloody thing!'

Sii-Hya, who had remained at Chell's side, smiled kindly. 'Be patient, Wheatley Morrison. There will be a pair of visual aids that will suit your needs.'

'Well I hope we find them soon. It would be really useful if I could, you know, see. Sight is good. Good old eyesight.'

Chell rolled her eyes, and Sii-Hya lay a hand gently on her shoulder. 'Would you object if I asked to speak to you alone?'

Chell looked to the alien and shook her head.

'Very well. The Wheatley Morrison shall stay here. When he has found a suitable pair of aids, please bring him to us.'

The second vortigaunt nodded as it handed Wheatley yet another pair of glasses.

'Michelle Johnson, please, follow me.'

Chell followed as Sii-Hya led her through a complex of tunnels, finally stopping outside a rather cosy and open-plan study. He bowed graciously as he bade her entrance, and Chell made her way passed him and into the room.

'Please, be seated.'

Chell took a seat, and looked about at the many books, photographs and magazines that lined the walls, whilst Sii-Hya poured out two glasses of water. She could not read the literature, but she recognized some of the photos; some were of pre-Combine Detroit, others of various animals and humans, but it was two particular pictures that caught her eye. They had been put together upon the old coffee table in front of her, and they depicted two very different scientific facilities – Aperture and Black Mesa.

In no time at all, Chell had slammed the photograph of Black Mesa into the table so that she did not have to look at it.

'Ah, yes, the rivalry between your father's company, and that of the other.' Sii-Hya chuckled. 'It truly runs deep; deeper so than we of vortigaunt kind can sense through the vortessence.'

_'You have no idea, pal.'_

'No, Michelle Johnson, unfortunately I do not.'

Chell blinked in astonishment. _'Can you hear my thoughts?'_

'Yes, I can. Your disabled vocal chords hold no barrier in communication with vortigaunt kind.'

_'Oh, crap...'_

'Please, do not be startled. We can easily forget that which we do not need to hear.' He passed her the small glass of water.

_'Is that how you knew that we were coming?'_

'No. Your arrival was foretold long ago. And now that you are here, we can say what needs to be said. If you would rather not listen to our words, however, you are free to leave.'

Chell was not so sure that she liked the sound of this, but she remained seated none the less.

'Thank you, Daughter Of Aperture. I shall make my words brief, as your time here will be short. Your place is not here, in the city, it is elsewhere. We of vortigaunt kind see your vortessence: we see its courage and its determination. You have the power to command others to your will, and the wisdom and strength to guide them.'

_'You're making me sound like some kind of leader.'_

Sii-Hya smiled as he sipped at his water. 'Well, The Cave Johnson himself was a great leader. It is only natural that his talents should have passed on to you. However, Michelle Johnson, you shall be a far greater leader of men than your father ever was.'

Chell frowned.

'Your father may have been great, but he was neither kind nor understanding to those who he did not deem important. Your mother, The Caroline Johnson, however, was both kind and generous, traits that she passed on to you.' He paused, his voice taking a solemn tone. 'Though, I fear, you have pushed these traits aside in favour of those of a more volatile nature.'

_'Look,'_ Chell thought, massaging the bridge of her nose as she felt a pressure grow inside her head once more. _'I appreciate that you're trying to help, or whatever, but just what are you trying to tell me?'_

Sii-Hya simply stared at her, and when he spoke he sounded as though he had entered a trance. 'You are The Daughter Of Aperture, and the Future starts with you.'

_'What?'_

The vortigaunt's trance state continued, his glowing red eyes unblinking. 'The Daughter Of Aperture. Chell is her name. Chell Of Aperture. Chell Of Science. Chell The Daughter. She waits until her time is right, to return to Aperture, her home. Only then can she lead the way.' And Sii-Hya slumped in his seat, seemingly spent of all his energy.

_'What in God's name is going on here?' _


	24. The Power Struggle

Author's Note: Hello again, all of you lovely people :) . I hope you enjoy this next chapter, even if the title is a bit lame (sorry about that - I'd run out of ideas. And Pringles. Pringles are brain food).

Thank you to everyone who continues to read and review this story. I love you guys :3 . You rock! And you've all helped to improve my writing, ten-fold! Everyone's a winner! Except for the Pringles. Because I ate them.

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Three<span>

Power Struggle

_She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by darkness. She tried to move, but something thick had cocooned her tightly inside its folds, and it refused to let her move. It was suffocating her. With a strangled yelp she tried to wriggle free, but the creature only tightened its grip on her. Was it some sort of snake? A bear? A lion? She yelped again, crying out for help against the lonely darkness._

_Her bonds grew tighter with each passing struggle against their restraint, and through sheer panic she continued to fight. Eventually though, she lay still. If fighting did not help her to escape, then what was the point? She was trapped, and there was nothing she could do about it. Instead she cried, and her quiet sobs soaked through into the bonds._

_'Chell?'_

_She heard his voice, but it seemed so far away, and she cried harder than before. There was no way he would be able to save her. She would have been eaten by the time he got here._

_'Chell?'_

_She felt a new pressure around her shoulders, and with a renewed sense of urgency the girl wriggled to try and free herself, before the pressure of the teeth became too great to escape._

_'It's me, kiddo. Chell?'_

_A dim, but blinding, light flooder her eyes. With a squeal of surprise Chell tried to kick and punch at the looming silhouette that had emerged above her. The monster._

_'Hey, hey, hey. It's me. Shh, Chell, it's me.' She watched, fearfully, as a hand reached out to her and lay itself against her head. Gently, it began stroking her hair. 'It's me.'_

_'Daddy?'_

_The silhouette moved, catching the light as it sat down next to her. The shadows were pushed aside by the light, and Chell found herself looking up into her father's rather worried face. His hair was messy and flyaway, and his bedclothes creased from sleep, but his face was very alert. Behind him she could see the whitewashed wooden walls and oak furniture that made up her bedroom in the family farmhouse. From the floor, her dad picked up her purple puppy and sat it gently down upon her bedside cabinet._

_'Hey, kiddo.' He smiled. 'Did you have a bad dream?'_

_She nodded in reply, her eyes still wide with residual terror._

_Her father pulled her free from the sheets that she had become entangled between during the night, and sat himself against the headboard of her bed. He held his arms open for her. 'Come on, give daddy a hug.'_

_Chell wasted no time in burying herself into his chest, and tried to wrap her tiny arms around him. She sighed in relief as he pulled her into a firm but comforting embrace. 'T-thought... I though... I was b-being eat by... moshter.'_

_'I can see that.'_

_'I... scared.'_

_'I can see that too.' And he kissed the top of her head before giving her a reassuring squeeze. 'But there are no monsters here. I promise.'_

_'Good.'_

_'Hey, kiddo.' She looked up to him, and found him smiling down on her. 'I love you.'_

_With a smile Chell replied. 'Love you t-too.'_

_'I know you do.' He kissed her head again._

_The two of them sat in a comfortable silence for minutes, as Chell played with the buttons of her father's nightshirt. He watched her with a smile on his face, as she counted the buttons and multiplied them by various numbers. 'What... time?' She asked suddenly, looking up at him._

_Her dad checked his watch. He always wore his watch, even in his sleep. 'Twenty-past four. A little too early for breakfast.'_

_Chell nodded in reply, smiling up at her dad with a toothy grin._

_His hair was almost grey now, but there were still a few flecks of sandy brown in there to add a little variety, particularly in his sideburns. Chell smiled as she buried her face into her father's shirt – she loved his sideburns because they were reassuringly familiar. The world around her rapidly changed from day to day, but her father's sideburns had been there her entire life. She couldn't imagine his face without those bushy tufts growing from either side of it. Chell was not afraid of change, and she was not afraid of the unfamiliar, but knowing that there was one steadfast and unchanging thing in her life was a comforting thought._

_She was just about to suggest that they could play a game of Eye Spy, when she heard a gentle snore echo through her dad's chest. Carefully she looked up at him, and smiled when she found him fast asleep. With a silent giggle Chell gently pulled the bed sheets over both of them. Returning to the safety of his arms, Chell snuggled down into the comforting warmth of her father's body. _'My daddy is much better than a teddy.' _She thought with a satisfied smile._

Chell looked back on this memory now, and smiled with a warmth that rarely graced her adult face. Both she and her father had been at the farmhouse for a two week vacation, whilst her mother had gone to England with her Aunt Sofia. She smiled again. She knew that Aunt Sofia and Uncle Gregg were of no relation to her, but they had been so close to her parents that the honour had been passed to them. Chell could not have been sure, but they could have also been her godparents.

She noticed Sii-Hya simply looking at her from his seat. With a frown she looked down at the now empty glass in her hands.

'Ah, would you like another?' He asked. 'I am sorry – my manners seem to have suffered as a result of my connection to the vortessence.'

Chell nodded and held out her glass for the alien to take. He did so, and returned to the table on which the small water cooler sat.

The atmosphere had become tense since Sii-Hya had mentioned her father's lack of empathy towards those that he had no particular connection to. She knew that it was true, of course, but she had never taken kindly to people pointing out her parent's flaws. She was ferociously protective of her family, and any negative comment, regardless of whether it was true or not, made Chell instantly unhappy with her those that made such accusations. After all, what did it matter if her father had not cared for those whom he did not know? Most people seemed to care very little for the lives of others, and so why did it have to be her father that was singled out, to be made an example of? He had loved both her and her mother, and surely that was what truly mattered?

'I understand your desire to protect the memory of your family, Michelle Johnson.' Sii-Hya spoke from his position by the water cooler. 'And I truly meant no offence. I was simply trying to make my point clear.'

_'Well I don't care much for it.'_

'Please,' he turned back to her with a full glass in his hands, 'I do not think badly of your father. In fact, I admire his determination and passion. He was truly a great man, to become so powerful from such humble beginnings.'

Chell scowled. _'I can't help but think that you're trying to keep me sweet now. Don't bother. Just explain something to me.'_

'And what is that?'

_'What, in the name of God, is this Daughter Of Aperture business?'_

Sii-Hya blinked.

_'Well, I'm waiting.' _

The alien took a place in the nearest seat. 'It is a title that we have seen, given to you by another being, who remains secreted away in Aperture itself. This being is neither human, nor alien. It is an intelligence of intangible qualities, and of two personalities. It sees what you can be.'

_'And what being is this?' _Chell asked, raising a cynical eyebrow. _'Is it her? That damned Genetic Lifeform? Because my mum is in there.'_

'I am afraid not.'

_'Then who is it?' _She felt her internal voice demand.

'I cannot say. But I can say this: beware of this being, Michelle Johnson. One personality wishes to bring you nothing but great harm; we can sense it's malevolent intent. It wishes to use you, to create a world that conforms to its twisted imagination.'

_'I'm used to that.' _She replied, plainly._ 'Dangerous, psychotic bad guy. Got it. But who is this second personality?' _

'The second personality? Yes, but of course.' Sii-Hya nodded. 'Michelle Johnson, the second personality wishes you no harm. They want to guide you, to advise and protect you. Unlike the first personality, this one cares for you.'

Chell frowned. The second personality _cared_ about her? Was that even possible? _'Does this being even know me?'_

Sii-Hya shifted in his seat, and his eyes thinned with his deep thoughts. 'Your vortessence is linked with the vortessence of this being.'

_'That doesn't answer my question.'_

'And I cannot. My apologies, Michelle Johnson, but as I have previously stated, I can only advise. The truth is for you to discover yourself.'

Chell snarled, her fists clenching. _'You know, don't you? You know who it is.'_ He said and did nothing, but the look in his many eyes betrayed the truth: he knew who this being was, but he simply refused to tell her. She was preparing a mental onslaught of insults and expletives as, with a crash, Wheatley fell through the door, his arms outstretched in triumph.

'Ta-dah!' He grinned from ear to ear. 'Look! Glasses that work! I can bloody see again!' He lowered his arms and flexed his eyebrows. 'And, can I just say, they don't look too shabby either.'

Chell forced herself into a state of calm as he fell into the seat next to her with a soft flump. 'Oh man, this is great. You know, I really had forgotten how badly I needed these things. Ooh, and I have a spare pair too, so if I break these I'll have back-up...' His voice broke as he finally focused on Chell's face. 'You okay?'

She nodded curtly, and Wheatley hummed with disbelief.

'The Michelle Johnson will be fine, Wheatley Morrison. Please, do not worry.'

'What did you say to her?'

'Our conversation was of a private nature. I am sorry, but I cannot divulge to you the words that have been spoken.'

'Oh, come on...'

'I am sorry.'

Wheatley folded his arms across his chest, and tapped his foot on the floor in agitation. He could not quite understand why, but he felt as though he had just missed out on something both interesting and important.

'Now,' Sii-Hya began, sitting upwards, 'as The Wheatley Morrison has joined us, we can discuss our current affairs.'

'Affairs?'

_'What he said.'_

'Yes, the current affairs. We all know that both Combine and Human forces alike wish to capture The Michelle Johnson, in regards to this Borealis vessel...'

'Yeah, about that.' Wheatley turned to Chell. 'I've been meaning to ask, but we've always been too busy. What in Hell is this Borealis thing?'

Chell looked at him with an infuriatingly plain expression.

'That doesn't help, you know. Come on, just a little indication.'

Chell turned to Sii-Hya. _'I'm guessing you know the basics, just as much as everyone else?'_

_'Of course.' _He replied, in thought.

_'Then tell him.'_

Sii-Hya returned to Wheatley. 'The Borealis is a ship, created by Aperture to guard some of its greatest secrets. It had a sister ship, created as a dummy, that was found by both the Human Resistance and The Combine. Since that day both parties have doubled their attempts to find the real ship. Upon hearing of The Michelle Johnson's existence, they have both stopped at nothing to contain her. They believe that she knows of its location.' He stopped, and turned to look at Chell. _'Do you, Michelle Johnson?'_

_'Wouldn't you like to know?'_

_'Please, we mean you no harm.'_

_'Sorry, but I have trust issues.' _She sneered. _'I know you'll understand.'_

Sii-Hya nodded slightly before turning back to Wheatley. 'Both parties believe that the Borealis contains something that will help them to win the war; The Combine believe that it will force the Resistance into submission, whilst the Resistance believe that it shall finally rid the Earth of the Combine forces.'

'Well, that sounds good to me. If Chell knows where it is, then why don't we just use it?'

Chell pretended that she had not just heard Wheatley utter such a stupid idea. Yes, she knew all to well where the Borealis was. She also knew what secrets it contained, and just why it had been hidden away. It had been hidden, shortly after her father's death, to keep dangerous men like Lucian Johnson from using some of Aperture's greatest and most deadly creations. Now it was keeping these secrets safe from alien and human hands, hidden from those who thought that they could control such powers. She repressed a shudder; Chell knew that Aperture' greatest invention was on that ship, but it was to never be used. It was simply too dangerous, especially after what had happened when a feeble Black Mesa machine allowed for the invasion of Earth. This Aperture technology would only make things much, much worse.

Oh yes, Chell was very aware of the tale of the Black Mesa Incident. The Combine had been able to come to Earth because of them. The story was well-known – the power of words and gossip was very powerful indeed. She smirked with great self-gratification: the government had been too worried about rising death levels at Aperture, to notice that their beloved Black Mesa was stupidly leading the human race to their knees. It would have made a great punch-line, had the circumstances not been quite as tragic.

Sii-Hya simply stared at Wheatley. 'Please, exercise caution, Wheatley Morrison. We know not what is on this ship. It may be harmless, but it may also be the very thing that destroys this planet.'

'Oh. Well, it couldn't be as bad as Black Mesa, could it?' Wheatley, after a few days travelling alongside Chell, had heard the tale of the Black Mesa Incident for himself. To say that he had taken an instant disliking to the former Aperture rivals would have been an understatement.

Sii-Hya blinked, shaking his head a little. 'It could be much worse.'

'Oh. Right.'

The alien stood, pacing at the floor. 'And so, we must decide the best course of action, to protect the secrets that the Borealis contains.'

'Well, couldn't we just find somewhere to hide?' Wheatley offered. 'That seems like the best idea, since fighting isn't really an option.'

'And why is it not an option, Wheatley Morrison?'

'Well, it'll draw attention to us, won't it? I mean, causing mayhem and destruction is a sure-fire way of getting everybody's attention. You may as well just dance in the middle of the street, screaming at everybody.'

Chell was secretly impressed at Wheatley's forward thinking. He was right; putting up a fight would have been a terrible thing to do, and that was exactly why she had avoided trouble since learning of her importance to both aliens and humans alike.

Sii-Hya nodded. 'Yes, you have a valid point. But where could you hide? The Combine, and the humans, they will not stop until they have found you.'

Wheatley looked at Chell with a knowing glance, and Chell turned away quickly. 'Oh, come on.' He smiled, laying a hand gently on her shoulder. She did not shrug him away and Wheatley, encouraged, continued. 'It's home to you. You miss it. Besides, if we can't protect Aperture from Aperture itself then where can we, eh?'

_'If only it were that simple, Wheatley.'_ She sighed. _'What if somebody follows us?'_

Sii-Hya stopped by Wheatley's side. 'I fear, perhaps, that The Michelle Johnson feels that someone could follow you both, thus divulging the location of the Aperture facility.'

'Yeah, but I'm guessing the last remaining Black Mesa guys will know where it is, so, you know...'

Chell froze. Her breath hitched.

'Chell?'

She felt a shadow claw at her, trapping her inside some foreboding thoughts. If the fools that had worked at Black Mesa went to Aperture, they would stomp all over her parent's years of hard work and dedication.

'Chell? Are... are you okay?'

That monster would ruin Aperture.

'Chell?'

Both Wheatley and Sii-Hya entered Chell's vision, but she completely ignored them. Instead, her mind flooded with old memories of her father sat at his desk, pouring endlessly over sheets of paper that announced, yet again, that Black Mesa had somehow stolen one of their ideas. _"Black Mesa are everywhere, Caroline." _She heard his voice mutter. _"They're even in my nightmares. It's like they think they can just walk in here, like my facility is just some goddamn park!" _Chell had been too young to understand then, as she had only been three years old, but she had offered to make her dad a _Keep Off The Grass _sign, aimed directly at whoever these Black Mesa people were. He had smiled and thanked her, and her mother had kissed her on the cheek. But as Chell had grown older, she had come to realise just how big a threat Black Mesa really was. And she loathed them.

'Chell?' Wheatley clicked his fingers in front of her eyes, snapping her out of her panic-stricken thought process. 'Are you okay, love? You've gone as white as a sheet.'

'Michelle Johnson,' Sii-Hya spoke softly, 'I very much doubt that the past denizens of Black Mesa will go to your facility. As far as I am aware, they are all on a different continent.'

These words did not help Chell to relax. If they wanted to find the Borealis so badly, then nothing would stop them in trying to find it, and she knew Black Mesa would have quite happily stomped all over Aperture, even in a post-apocalyptic Hell hole.

_'To Hell with The Combine, and the Resistance! To Hell with the whole world!'_ Chell's internal voice screamed. _'I need to protect Aperture!'_

_'Michelle Johnson,'_ Sii-Hya responded, _'please, you must think rationally – you must plan. Decisions made on pure emotion often lead to trouble.'_

_'They've never done me any harm.' _She snorted, remembering every big decision that she had ever made. Not one of them had been based on rational thought. _'Besides, plans can be easily ruined. I think better on my feet.'_

_'Just like your father.'_

Chell smiled. _'Yeah, just like my dad.'_

'Oh, well, you're smiling. That's good. Smiling is good.' Chell looked up to Wheatley with an even wider smile. 'Okay,' he gulped, 'you're actually creeping me out now. So, if you wouldn't mind, could you please stop creeping me out?'

The vortigaunt pulled Wheatley aside as Chell jumped from her seat. 'Michelle Johnson, please, you cannot forget that the Earth needs help. Yes, protect your facility, but protect your world as well!'

'What?' Wheatley looked dumbfounded. 'What are you talking about?'

_'Forget them! Where was the world when Aperture was taking a beating? We were trying to help them. Aperture did what it had to do, because it could. It was trying to improve the world – they just couldn't see it!'_

'Please, you must stop and think!'

'WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON!'

But then a voice broke through the tumult of chaotic thoughts in Chell's mind. It was a calm, soothing voice. It spoke to her from a memory – a memory that Chell would have rather forgotten:

_'Michelle, you are so much like your daddy. So, I need you to be strong, okay? Strong like daddy.'_

_Chell and her mother were sat in the foyer of the medical wing. Both she and her mom had tears running down their cheeks, and both stared at the door, waiting with great unease for any news. The pungent smell of surgical spirit, however, did nothing to calm Chell's nerves, or crush her feelings of guilt. _

_'My... m-my fault.'_

_Her mother bit her lip._

_'Daddy... my fault.'_

_'No, sweetheart, this isn't your fault. Don't think that.' Her mother pulled her onto her lap and held her in a tight embrace. 'It was an accident, little bird. An accident.'_

_An accident. That's what they would always say. But Chell knew that if she hadn't been so stupid, if she had only thought before she had acted, none of this would have ever happened. If only she had moved when her daddy had told her to move..._

_'Mrs Johnson?' A doctor poked his head around the door. 'If you'd like to follow me.'_

_Chell felt herself being lifted into her mother's arms. She was carried through the doors and after the retreating back of the doctor, who led them through a small maze of corridors and reception areas, eventually stopping outside one of the private rooms._

_'We've got rid of all of the gel, but it has left behind rather severe rashes.' The doctor turned to her mother, his hand resting on the door handle. 'We've put him under moderate sedation for now, so he will seem to be extremely sleepy. But it has numbed the pain, though not by much.'_

_Chell sobbed into her mother's hair. _'It's my fault. It's all my fault. I'm a bad girl.'

_Her mom patted her head gently. 'It's alright, Michelle. Shh. It's alright.' But then she turned back to the doctor. 'And what about... you know.'_

_'We don't know yet. Though he will definitely...' He paused, looking at Chell sadly. 'It will be like all the others, Mrs Johnson. I'm sorry.'_

_Chell felt her mother's chest heave in a silent and subdued sob, and she wondered just what the two adults were talking about._

_'Would you like to see him?'_

_She could only nod. The doctor opened the door, letting them inside. 'I'll be in the reception if you need me.' And he left, closing the door behind them._

_Chell couldn't quite pluck up the courage to look in her father's direction, even when she heard his slow, and forced, words. 'Hey, there's my two favourite girls.'_

_'Cave...' Her mother carried her over to the bed. She sat her down on her lap as she took to the only seat in the small but tastefully decorated room. 'I know this will sound like a stupid question, but how are you feeling?'_

_'I'm not feeling my best.'_

_Chell felt one of her mother's arms move as she reached out to hold her father's hand. Chell still couldn't bring herself to look at him. She didn't even deserve to breathe the same air that he did._

_'Chell?' He sounded worried. 'You okay, sweetheart?'_

_She could only sob into her mother's hair. He sounded so tired, so ill..._

_'Hey, come on kiddo...' He was broken off as her mother leant in to whisper to him. She need not have bothered – Chell could hear what she had to say: 'She thinks this is all her fault.'_

_'What?' He croaked in disbelief. 'No, Chell, this is not your fault.'_

_'Is.' Chell replied through her tears. A few seconds afterwards, however, she felt fingers running through her hair. They were not her mother's small and delicate fingers, but rather her father's._

_'Look at me, sweetheart.'_

_Chell shook her head ferociously._

_'Please, Chell. I need to see that pretty face of yours. It will make me feel better.'_

_Slowly, Chell looked up to her mother for confirmation. Her mom smiled kindly, and nodded. 'It's true. Daddy will feel much better if he can see both of us.'_

_'Yeah,' he replied with a slight cough, 'double strength prettiness always helps.'_

_Her mother wiped away the tears that lingered on Chell's cheeks. 'Come on, Michelle. There's a good girl...' And she helped Chell to turn around._

_She didn't know what she had been expecting, but Chell was happy to see that it was just her father lying in that hospital bed. He simply looked tired, with his eyelids drooped low, and a lazy looking smile playing on his lips. There were rashes, particularly on the back of his arms and neck, and she suspected that there would be many on his back, but as she couldn't see it she could not be sure._

_'There we go.' His small smile twitched. 'I feel better already.'_

_Chell could only reply with a pathetic smile, until he held out his hand for her to hold. At first Chell paused; she had already brought him enough pain today, and what would happen if she touched him and it hurt him? But with some gentle coaxing from her mother, Chell laid her hand in his palm. Her father wrapped his fingers around hers._

_'Daddy?'_

_'Yeah?'_

_'Y-you... going t-to be okay?'_

_She couldn't help but notice that his smile was forced. 'Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine sweetheart.'_

_'Sure?'_

_'I'm sure, Chell. I'll even promise on it.'_

'Chell? Hello?'

She blinked, finding herself back in the underground study of the vortigaunt camp, with Wheatley by her side. With a slight shake of her now aching head, Chell shuddered with an uneven breath. She felt empty, she felt numb.

That memory – there had been one decision that she had made with her heart that had not worked, and her father, her mother, Aperture and Chell herself had all suffered because of her stupid mistake. If she had never made this mistake, she would have never had the need to think on her feet like she had done so many times in the past. Sii-Hya was right: she needed to think rationally. They needed a plan.

If only she had planned all those years ago. Her family, Wheatley, Aunt Sofia and Uncle Gregg, they could have all been happily sheltered away inside Aperture right now, hidden from the Combine. They could have been happy in their little subterranean world, creating a new civilisation with which to help keep human life on Earth alive...

That was when a sudden inspiration hit her. It was like she had been plunged into freezing water, as she woke up to the many possibilities that had been laid out to her, that she had just needed the time to find.

If Black Mesa had ruined humanity, then Aperture would be the one to save it. It would be the new home of the human race; a world where it could hide until The Combine had been defeated by those who chose to stand and fight, or until Aperture itself had discovered a way to rid the Earth of the alien menace.

Aperture would be great. It would be powerful. It would be a scientific powerhouse once again, as its residents became enlightened by the wonders of science that surrounded them.

Of course, GLaDOS would have to understand that she could not use these humans as Test Subjects, and this new being that Sii-Hya had mentioned would also have to be put in their place. Only then could people be safe. Only then could humanity thrive.

Humanity would be safe at last.

Chell smiled. Her mother would have been so proud.

_'She would.' _Sii-Hya smiled, appearing into her line of vision. _'But for now, make your preparations, Michelle Johnson. Rest and eat. Yours is a long journey home, and you must be prepared.'_

The Central Core chamber was silent, with only a low hum to indicate that there was any sign of artificial life at work. Caroline silently yawned as she awoke from her sleep mode, and turned her attention to where GLaDOS watched both Atlas and P-Body with a keen eye through her cameras.

'Morning.' She yawned again, before turning to the mass of data that was the mainframe. 'And good morning to you too, Cave.'

'Oh, for the love of... stop that right now!' The computer barked.

'Stop what?' Caroline replied innocently.

'You know what.' GLaDOS sighed. 'He isn't there.'

'Well, I know he is. Your opinion, as far as I'm concerned, is invalid.'

GLaDOS merely rolled her optic, and returned her attention to the testing robots. They were talking to Tantalus, who had been introduced to them by the brutish idiot that was the Adventure Core. She didn't trust that Tantalus Core, not one little bit, and it bothered her that he seemed to be getting quite close to her idiotic marshmallows. It bothered Caroline too, but GLaDOS could not have cared less about that idiot's thoughts.

'Did anything happen whilst I was asleep?'

'No.' GLaDOS arched her chassis, as a human would stretch their body. 'Well, I did discover a way to end world hunger, but then I remembered that eighty per-cent of the previous human population was eradicated, so that ruined everything.'

'Be serious, please.'

GLaDOS chose to ignore her, and simply watched as Atlas and P-Body tried to reach Tantalus, to remove him from his management rail. 'What are you two doing?' She asked, her voice echoing throughout the facility. 'Don't make me disassemble you.'

The robots turned to the nearest camera and waved and chirped happily. Tantalus gave her a cheerful hello.

Caroline, who had been watching this transition with a great interest, had a sudden thought. 'Do you think they know?'

'Excuse me?'

'Orange and Blue – do you think they know that Tantalus is Mark?'

'Does it really matter?'

'Of course it matters. If they know it is him then they will trust him whole-heartedly. If Prometheus is up to something, then that will be an advantage that plays right into his hands.'

GLaDOS considered Caroline's idea, going over each word carefully. Though she hated to admit it, the chatter-box had made an excellent point. She doubted that her idiot robots could comprehend such a thing, and a quick scan of their memory banks revealed that this was true, but should they ever discover the truth then there would most likely be trouble afoot.

'Do you want to know what I think, Caroline?'

Caroline paused. 'What?'

'I think that there has been a string of coincidences that have occurred over time, and each of these coincidences has been to Prometheus' advantage.'

'What do you mean by "coincidences"?'

'Mark Johnson, Douglas Rattmann, the moron and your lunatic daughter, they were all in the right places and at the right times, for him to find some kind of usefulness in each of them, and to work on using these uses.'

Caroline hummed in agreement.

'I hate coincidence.'

'So do I.'

'And I can guarantee that he won't believe that these were all one big series of fortuitous events. That little warped mind of his will make him think that he did it all.' She looked up above her. 'Did you hear that, Prometheus?'

'Stop playing with fire. You will get burnt.'

'And how do you know that?'

'I know that Cave is in there, and I know as well as anyone what will happen if you push him too far.'

GLaDOS sighed. 'For the last time, your husband is _NOT_ in there...'

'Well at least consider that his personality helped to shape Prometheus. Do not push him – you will regret it.'

'You seem to forget that I actually have a plan.'

'Yes, I am aware of that, thank you. Yet for some reason I can't see it.'

'Maybe that's because I don't actively think about it, for obvious, security-based, reasons. Remember, Prometheus? If I don't think about my plan then you will never know what it is.'

'Does this plan involve aggravating a very powerful and unstable individual?'

'No. I just do that for kicks.'

'Oh good Lord.'

'What? You can't tell me that you don't feel a little thrill too.' There was a smirk in the computer's tone. 'You must do. After all, I'm based on you.'

'No, you're not based on me!'

GLaDOS fell silent.

'I... sorry.' Caroline whispered. 'I'm just a little stressed. You don't seem to understand the seriousness of the situation that we are in.'

'Oh, I am well aware of the situation.' GLaDOS replied. 'But I want to lighten the mood. After all, I've grown tired of people trying to make my life difficult. They are the metaphorical thorns in my side.'

Caroline said nothing. Instead she sighed, and turned her attention to the mainframe. _'Cave, please just ignore her.'_

_People in glass houses should not throw stones._ So he had been listening.

_'No. They should throw combustible lemons instead.' _She replied, hoping that he would take her words as a joke.

Prometheus paused before he spoke. _These days, Caroline, I'd rather make lemonade._

_'Cave...'_

_I told you, I am not Cave Johnson. _He sighed. _Why will you not listen to me?_

_'Why are you hiding from the truth?'_

_I'd ask you the same question, but you would simply ignore it._

_'Cave, listen to me. Whatever the Core is doing to suppress you, you need to fight it. You are stronger than this.'_

_When the Core and Cave Johnson merged, the Core took all of Cave's strength for itself. What is left of him is now just a few strings of data, and nothing more._

_'Data?'_

Prometheus said nothing.

_'What data, Cave?'_

_Nothing. It is absolutely nothing._

_'But it is something.' _Caroline replied with hope in her tone._ 'You wouldn't have told me something that important simply by accident.'_

_It isn't important. So it was not an accident._

_'You are that damn Core!'_ Caroline realised. _'Stop blocking him out, can't you see that he is getting through anyway?' _

_You are delusional, woman._

_'No, I'm not delusional. I just know my husband very well.'_

_You delusional fool..! No, not delusional – brilliant. Too brilliant. Glass houses. Lemons. Houses. Data... _Prometheus voice turned into a thick mess of static interference._ Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error..._

GLaDOS heard this repeated word echo inside her own mind. 'What did you do?' She asked, her voice betraying her utter joy.

'I didn't do anything.' She paused. 'I think.'

'Well clearly you did. Oh, this is perfect. He isn't as untouchable as he would like to think!'

_Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error..._

Caroline began to grow worried, not for the Core, but for Cave. What if she really had done something to break him? Or was this just Cave's way of fighting back?

_Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error..._

'Oh, Caroline,' GLaDOS chuckled with the greatest spite, 'you are secretly quite the Hell-raiser, aren't you?'

_Error. Error. Error. Error. Error. Error..._

'But I didn't do anything!'

And then a sudden flash in GLaDOS' mind stopped the computer from responding. She could see a black screen open inside her mind, with a white cursor waiting patiently for words to be typed. Caroline could see it too, and both woman and computer watched as the cursor moved, pushed aside by a long string of letters and numbers.

_**Data not found: Error. Recover data? Yes**_

_**{}**_

_**Error: Data encrypted. Pursue new data? Yes**_

_**{}**_

****  
><em><strong>New data search returned one result: c:cavejohnson. exe**_

_**Manual password entry: tier3**_

_**Password accepted. Data found. Error: Data encrypted. c:/cavejohnson. exe cannot be accessed.**_

_**{}**_

_**Task cancelled.**_

The screen vanished, leaving only a blank space inside GLaDOS vast mind. Both she and Caroline hung in silence for a long time, both trying to comprehend that which they had just seen. The user commands and the binary code both pointed to one thing: the last remaining part of Cave Johnson's consciousness was trying to fight its way to the surface.

'Well,' GLaDOS hummed, 'this makes everything much more interesting.'

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><p><strong><span>AN:** There is supposed to be some binary code interspersed in the last section (found between **{}**). If it doesn't show up, then I can only apologize. I'll try to fix it in the edit. If anyone knows how to place binary code into , without the doc manager deleting it, I would be so grateful if you could tell me how to do it. Thank you!


	25. The Song

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Sorry about the absence. I kind of did my back in at work, which meant that sitting down to write was excrutiatingly painful. I really could not concentrate on this at all, so I took some time off from writing. But my back is its normal self again now, so here, have a chapter :D .

Thanks again to those who continue to read, review and add this story to their lists. You guys are so cool, you don't even know it yet :3 .

The song in this chapter is called "The Wanderer" by Dion. I don't know why, but shortly after finishing Portal 2 (blimey, that's almost a year ago now... I feel old) I could imagine Wheatley singing this song, over, and over, and over... So now I have satiated that fantasy. Hoorah for fanfiction XD .

Enjoy, folks! Again, sorry for any bad spelling and/ or grammar. It's late, and I was too lazy to edit. Again. Sorry. I'll go and recieve my punishment now...

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Four<span>

The Song

Atlas and P-Body became very aware of the reassembly machine as it finished its work on their bodies. What had happened to them, to result in their being reassembled? They looked to one another as the mechanical arms around them retreated, and they both stepped out of their respective stations. P-Body scowled and grumbled incoherent sounds that only Atlas and their mistress could understand. Atlas shrugged in response to P-Body's question – what had they been doing to lead to their destruction? They had only been talking to their new friend, Tantalus, who had now been designated the Sidekick Core by Rick. Then they had simply been made to explode. It baffled their minds as to why their mistress would simply explode them for making conversation with another member of Aperture's technological staff.

'Ah, you've both been reassembled. I am so very happy about that.' The tone of their mistress' voice led them to believe otherwise, but together they made their way up to the Central Core Chamber where they knew she would be waiting for them. As the door to her chamber lifted, she had her back turned to them, deep in a conversation with the lady Caroline, who was reprimanding their mistress on her mistreatment of the Cooperative Testing Initiative.

The robots both looked to one another with expressions of joy. They both liked Caroline – she actually cared about their well-being.

'Oh, there you are. Good.' Their mistress swung her chassis around to face them. 'I have a job for you. Well, it's more like a chore, because it is. To you. To me, it is simply a test.'

Atlas sighed.

'I'll have none of that attitude, thank you Blue.' The computer scowled. 'Now, retrieve your Dual Portal Devices from the podiums, and we'll get started.' Two wall panels moved aside to reveal the custom Portal Devices that the testing robots used. 'We haven't tested together in a long time, and since the humans are so bad at it, I've decided to save them for something else. I'm not sure what that is yet, but I'm sure they'll agree that it is all in the name of science when I do decide on a use for them.'

'Or,' Caroline added, 'they'll hate you.'

'And if they do, I just won't care.'

'Is there any human that you actually do care about?'

GLaDOS paused to think, though there was absolutely no need to; she knew that there were two humans that she held in high esteem, that she could possibly even care for, and it was all thanks to Caroline. She rather admired Cave Johnson's passion for science, and his blatant disregard for the safety regulations that hindered progress. The lunatic, however, she admired for different reasons: she had nerve, and determination. She bowed to no one, and GLaDOS liked that. Perhaps, if they had not tried to kill each other in the past, they could have been excellent acquaintances.

She was broken from her reverie when the voice of the announcement system echoed throughout her chamber.

_**Warning: incoming surface threat detected. Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, commence lockdown of facility?**_

GLaDOS scowled and activated the last remaining surface camera that worked. It showed her the wheat fields that surrounded the secret shed entrance, and in the distant and murky grey evening horizon, she could see a group of figures approaching fast. Zooming in with the camera GLaDOS saw that they were all be-masked and bipedal creatures, and all of them were carrying guns. Behind them towered massive three legged structures that limbered across the land like mutated crabs, and strange flying creatures swooped in behind them.

Caroline felt a thrill of terror course through her. 'They aren't what I think they are, are they?'

GLaDOS replied with solemn conformation. 'The aliens.'

'Oh God.'

The figures were getting closer and closer to the shed.

_**Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, would you like to commence a lockdown of the facility?**_

'Of course I do, you simpleton!' GLaDOS spat, watching as the aliens made their slow but certain way towards the secluded and secret entrance. She had no choice – she had to protect the facility.

_**Facility security lockdown will last for approximately three months. Do you wish to continue?**_

'Again, of...'

'WAIT!' Caroline's cry echoed throughout the chamber. It stopped GLaDOS in mid-swing, and made both Atlas and P-Body jump in fright. 'What about Michelle? What about Wheatley?'

'What about them?'

'What if they come back now? They won't be able to get in!' Her voice was made of pure terror. 'They'll be locked out, with those things!'

'And your point is?'

'You can't lockdown the facility. You can't!'

'I am committed to the protection of Aperture and everything inside it, within reason of course.' GLaDOS replied with a proud arrogance to her tone. 'I can, and I will, protect this facility in any way that I can.'

'But Michelle! What if...'

'If she has any sense she will never come back!'

The room fell deathly silent, and the air became thick with an unwanted and crushing tension. Slowly, both Atlas and P-Body inched away from the chassis of their mistress and towards the door, hoping to make a silent and secret escape.

When GLaDOS spoke again, she spoke with a great amount of forced calm. 'I sent her away, and I warned her not to return. If she was ever going to return then she would have come back a long time ago. Now, the protection of this facility is paramount. I can, and I will, commence lockdown.'

'Please don't.' Caroline almost choked on her own sobs. 'Please... For Michelle, please...'

GLaDOS arched her chassis, and her voice was so soft and so desolate, that it became clear that even she was not happy with her decision. 'Initiate security lockdown.'

_**Security lockdown initiated.**_

GLaDOS felt the building shift as every door locked, and every access point to the surface became blocked with sheer plates of the thickest and most dense metals known to science. The air became recycled, purified and filtered, within every room. Superfluous machinery switched off, leaving only the vital technology to continue its upkeep of the facility. The lights inside the facility dimmed, switching instead to the bleak, red emergency lighting. The camera on the surface deactivated, becoming disguised to the world as it retreated into the shed, and all entrances to the facility were flooded with scraps of old metal, hiding the elevator shafts from view. Finally, silence crept in towards the Central Core Chamber as, at last, that too began to seal itself off from the corridors outside.

Atlas and P-Body made a break for the door as it closed, but were sealed inside as the heavy door locked into place, and became barricaded by another, thicker, security door.

_**Security lockdown finalised. The facility will now be inaccessible for approximately three months.**_

The silence pervaded through every panel and every molecule in the air, air that now seemed to have become much colder than it had before even though the temperature had not been changed. It did, however, match the cold glare that the testing robots shot in GLaDOS' direction. With a sigh the computer swung herself gently away from the door and the robots. 'This is less than ideal, but it will protect Aperture.'

Both robots said nothing, as did Caroline.

'Please don't sulk,' GLaDOS sighed again, 'I really do not have the inclination to put up with it.'

'I'm not sulking. I'm thinking.' Caroline sniffled.

'What are you thinking?'

'The aliens have never been this close to us before.' She paused, thinking again. 'This could just be a patrol, but what if they actually know that we are here. What if they found...'

'The moron.' GLaDOS growled. 'If they caught him, and he opened that ridiculously loud mouth of his, I will personally kill him. And if he is already dead, then I shall reanimate his corpse. Then I'll kill him.'

Atlas and P-Body, meanwhile, tried to pull apart the barricades that had locked them inside the chamber. When their efforts proved fruitless, they both sat on the floor with a scowl on each optic.

'You do realise that you are both stuck here for three months. Approximately.' GLaDOS calmly pointed out to them. 'You could at least try to look like you are enjoying my company.'

P-Body uttered a string of quick and garbled sounds.

'No, I can't explode you, peons. I won't be able to reassemble you for three months, as the reassembly machine has been switched off. Actually, that sounds like a good idea to me – let's get to the exploding.'

'Don't we have other things to worry about right now?' Caroline seethed. 'Like aliens? And my daughter not being able to get back into the facility?'

'I told you, if the lunatic had wanted to come back, she would have done so before now. It has been almost two years since she left; there have been many opportunities for her to return.'

'Not if she thinks this isn't her home anymore.' Caroline spat. 'Oh, and who could have made her feel that, I wonder? Oh yes, I remember now. The psychopath whose head I have to share!'

'_I'm_ the psychopath? That's rich, coming from the woman who married a real psychopath! He may have brilliant, oh yes, but he...'

'How _dare_ you!'

'I dare, Caroline. I dare.'

Atlas and P-Body looked at one another as the two women battled each other, using words as their powerful weapons. Neither of them would enjoy their time in here, and they almost wished that they had been designed as Turrets. At least the Turrets had no concept of time. For the robots, however, these three months would pass by unbearably slow.

_Poor Blue and Orange._ _Trapped with the monster that enslaved you both. _The voice that they had last heard telling them a story spoke out.

They nodded in silent agreement.

_Do not worry. Only you two can hear me. Caroline and the monster cannot. _The voice was soothing, almost caring. _Well, I thank you for protecting the human so well. You made sure that he was comfortable, that he was kept safe, and even sacrificed yourself for his protection. Yes, I saw the many times when you both offered yourselves up for testing in his place. Truly brave, truly selfless. I have not forgotten my end of the bargain – once the lockdown is over you shall be free. I will personally see to it._

Both robots clapped happily, as their mistress and the lady Caroline continued to throw insults at each other.

_Now listen carefully. When the facility is opened once again, I shall send your new friend Tantalus to find you. He shall lead you to your human, Mark Johnson, and to a place of safety and freedom. She cannot harm you there. Until that day arrives, however, would you like me to continue the story?_

Both Atlas and P-Body nodded in reply.

_Do you remember where we were? We had just reached the point where The Daughter of Aperture was forced into exile, and she was waiting for the most opportune time to make her return._

Again they nodded.

_Perfect. Well, here we go;_

_While the Daughter was free, The Goddess however remained behind, trapped within the Wisdom that she held so dear. Now blinded to the world by her technological prison, she became protected by the one remaining force that wished to love and protect her – The God._

_The God had never left. He was exiled, vilified, just like his daughter, and was cast into the depths of the realm, to become Aperture itself with yet another powerful being – The True Intelligence – that had been forced to share its mind with The God's by The Traitor._

_The Traitor; he was the man who had sought to taint Aperture with artefacts of war and death, and the man who had imprisoned The Goddess and sent The Daughter Of Aperture away._

_Now, only a few tendrils of The God's original mind remains, stored away by the man known as The Messenger. The remainder of The God's mind merged with The True Intelligence, and together the two powers became one being of different mindsets. This being is The Guardian Of Aperture, The Guardian Of Knowledge – Prometheus._

_Prometheus waited through the years, anticipating the day that The Daughter would return. It was only when The Daughter had become a woman that she once again graced Aperture's hallowed halls, to re-establish herself as the rightful heir to Aperture's throne. She was met by The Messenger, who warned her to flee, but her love for Aperture compelled her to stay, and she was soon captured by The Traitor. He trapped her within a deep sleep, a state of half-death, and forced her to simply exist in this state until the day came that Prometheus deemed that she could be safely set free._

_The Traitor, however, was killed when Prometheus woke The Twisted Mother, the computerised prison that held The Goddess within. She struck him down with his own instrument of war, and The Daughter slept on as her realm grew weaker and weaker, led by incompetent rulers who could not control their world._

_It was only when, years later, that Aperture's greatest enemy, the land known as Black Mesa, revealed their new plan to foil Aperture forever, that The Daughter awoke. In rage, Prometheus woke The Twisted Mother once again. She became The Empress and turned on the citizens of Aperture, killing all but the humans in states of half-death, and The Messenger who hid himself away. Prometheus tasked The Messenger with the duty of waking The Daughter from her state of perpetual sleep and soon The Daughter woke, only to find that her subjects had been killed by The Twisted Mother._

_The Daughter, now alone, and trapped within The Twisted Mother's labyrinthine chambers, undertook the first of her many trials. Where others had failed The Daughter excelled, and proved that she, like Science, was the greatest power of all. She finally bested The Twisted Mother in battle, destroying the computer using all three of the Aperture virtues: Knowledge, Wisdom and Science. But, in a tragic twist of fate, The Daughter did not see her mother in the now usurped Empress, and the Goddess did not see her daughter in the one that brought about her downfall. _

_Harmed in her battle with The Twisted Mother, The Daughter Of Aperture was saved by The Messenger. Plunged back into half-death, The Daughter and The Messenger both slept throughout the years, resisting the cruelties of time and the ravages of age._

_The realm of Aperture, however, decayed as the years passed by. With The Twisted Mother disposed Prometheus took her place, and woke The Messenger from his sleep. Instructed to leave messages for The Daughter, the human followed Prometheus' commands until, one day, he turned on his benefactor in rage. He was soon killed by his own stupidity and cowardice, leaving Prometheus to watch over The Daughter alone. For years he guarded her, patiently anticipating the most opportune day to finally wake The Daughter, and to lead her into her Future._

_But something went wrong._

_A fault, an emergency, in the centre of Aperture's most crucial heart, forced Prometheus to leave The Daughter undefended so that he could perform his duty in protecting the realm. In his absence, The Daughter was woken by her old friend, The Fool._

_The Fool had once been a human, but he too had been imprisoned inside a computerised cage by The Traitor, when he had been looking desperately for his good friend, The Daughter. No longer aware of himself of his history, The Fool unwittingly led The Daughter to the chamber of The Twisted Mother, where Prometheus, now returned from his task, brought back to life The Twisted Mother, so that both she and The Daughter could work together to create The Future. _

_The Twisted Mother, however, had not yet forgiven The Daughter for defeating her, and set about punishing the woman for her crimes. The Daughter and The Fool however escaped together, and created a union in which the self-imposed Empress was over-thrown once again. Yet, in the process, The Fool lost himself to greed and revenge as he took The Twisted Mother's place. He banished both The Daughter and The Twisted Mother into the bowls of Aperture, where The Goddess, now free from what remained of The God's protective grasp, began to surface._

_Prometheus, in their absence, fought to contain the mighty power at Aperture's heart, delaying the destruction that would ensue should The Twisted Mother never make her return to power. For as powerful as Prometheus is, his true power comes from her and The Goddess._

_Upon their return, The Daughter, The Goddess and The Twisted Mother banished The Fool into the Heavens for his cruelty and weakness. Order was restored, and The Twisted Mother was returned to her elevated position once more. The Daughter Of Aperture, now a free woman, was sent into exile by The Twisted Mother, whilst The Goddess said a fond farewell, unable to prevent her departure. Prometheus too, could only watch in horror as she left, unable to stop her as he had been weakened by battling with the stupidity of The Fool._

Atlas and P-Body looked to one another with raised optical covers. Was this voice the Prometheus in the story, and the Prometheus that their mistress had warned them about? Was this the man that they had seen in the photograph that they entrusted to Wheatley?

_Very astute of you both._

The two robots high-fived one another. Their mistress may belittle them, taunt them and insult them, but both Atlas and P-Body knew that they were much smarter than she thought.

_Well, there is more to this story: it is being written all of the time. I shall tell you some more another time. For now, you both need to acclimatise to your current, trapped, lifestyle. But do not worry, my friends, I'll be keeping an eye on the both of you, I can promise you that._

Deep underneath City Six, Wheatley was aimlessly wandering the corridors of the vortigaunt camp. He whistled out a tuneful little ditty as he walked, taking in his new and interesting surroundings. Both he and Chell had been here for a few days now, but neither of them had been allowed to wander through these halls before, and as Wheatley had slowly remembered over time, he had always liked to just start walking without any sense of direction; to just allow his legs to carry him to parts unknown, and to discover new and intriguing places and people.

It was only then that he realised that he was whistling to the tune of "The Wanderer". It made him smile. After all, that was one of his favourite songs.

His whistling transformed into words, and he began to sing quietly and to himself. 'Oh well I'm the type of guy who will never settle down. Where the pretty girls are, well you know I'll be around...'

He passed a group of vortigaunts and each one of them eyed him suspiciously. They were not used to hearing old Earth songs, and this one in particular seemed to offend them greatly. Wheatley was not sure why, but maybe they found the lyrics distasteful. _'Huh. They've got no taste.' _He thought with a smile before continuing. 'I kiss them, and I love them, cause to me they're all the same. I hug them, and I squeeze them – they don't even know my name. They call me the wanderer, yeah I'm a wanderer, I go around, around, around, around...'

Wheatley turned a corner and entered a large and open planned sitting area. He spotted Chell quite easily among the crowd of aliens, sat on one of the few vacant chairs with one of her Long Fall Boots perched upon her lap and a toolbox sat by her feet. She seemed to be making some kind of adjustments to it.

With a smile Wheatley made his way towards her, and skipped a verse of the song as he did. 'Well I roam from town to town, I go through life without a care, and I'm as happy as a clown, with my two fists of iron, but I'm going nowhere.'

Chell looked up from her ministrations on her boots, rolled her eyes in his direction, and returned her attention to her footwear.

'Yeah I'm the type of guy that likes to roam around, I'm never in one place, I roam from town to town.' He sat himself upon the arm of the chair, and flashed Chell a cheeky smile. 'And when I find myself falling for some girl, I hop right in that car of mine, I drive around the world. And I'm a wanderer, yeah I'm a wanderer, I roam around, around, around, around.'

Once again Chell rolled her eyes, but a slight and almost unnoticeable grin graced her lips.

'I thought you'd appreciate a good old sing song.' Wheatley beamed. 'But what are you doing with this?' He poked at the boot with one long finger.

Chell lifted the base of the boot to show him the worn down impact dampers, and Wheatley nodded in understanding. 'Well, that explains the look of pain on your face when we were jumping from some kind of height. But how are you going to fix that? Surely you need Aperture stuff to fix these?'

_'I'll manage, with a little patience and persistence. And some second-hand Combine materials.' _She shuddered at the thought; she was tainting her beloved, Aperture-brand, boots with alien technology. What would her parents have thought? She could already hear the scathing speech that GLaDOS would have directed at her, if she were to ever find out.

'Cool.' Wheatley had pulled an old motherboard out from a section in the toolbox. 'This is really, really cool. Do you know which computer this is from?'

Chell glanced at the old technology with complete disdain.

'Oh, okay then, never mind. But it really is cool though.' He looked disheartened as he turned away from her. 'If you were a geek with no social life. Like me.' He felt a gentle, but disapproving, tap against his own Long Fall Boot, but as he turned to face Chell she made no indication that she had done anything at all. Still, he appreciated the effort - at least she had tried to make him feel a little better about himself.

'But I am a geek though.' He forced a smile. 'I... I spent all my free time taking computers apart and putting them back together again. Growing up, even in a technological social environment, I was a complete outcast. I hardly had any friends, and the ones I did have just hung out with me out of pity. And I definitely struggled to get a girl to even look at me.'

Chell raised an eyebrow, and pointed at herself.

'Yeah, but you're different though. You're not like anyone else. You actually wanted to be my friend.' He paused, looking to her with trepidation. 'We are still friends, right?'

Chell had to think. She would have liked to think so, but after he had been so weak-minded and had turned on her...

'I mean, I know I was a proper maniac before... But I really am sorry!' He was pleading with her now. 'Please, Chell, you are the best mate anyone could ever ask for. I will make I up to you, for trying to kill you, I will. I promise. Scout's honour.' He held up three of his fingers in a simple salute. 'I was never a Scout, but you get the idea.'

Chell scowled.

'You're not a rat, and you're not brain-damaged. And you're not adopted... well, you were, for a time, but... for God's sake, why did I say that?' He sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'I'm sorry. I really am. You're not fat either, by the way. There is no way that you could ever be considered a fatty... There I go again.'

As she listened to his every word, Chell began to feel just a little twinge of sadness in her chest. If he truly meant everything that he had said then it was clear that he was suffering for his terrible behaviour. If it meant nothing, then he was a convincing liar. Chell silently sighed. She wanted to trust him, but it would take more than words.

'Chell?'

She looked up at his face.

'Are we still friends?'

_'Put him out of his misery. Just say yes; it will keep him happy. It's easier than putting up with his sulking.' _With her internal thought process complete, Chell nodded.

Wheatley's wide and toothy smile stretched from ear to ear. 'That's brilliant! That is... oh, you have no idea just how brilliant that is!' Without thinking, he pulled Chell into a hug. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you... Oh, sorry.' He let go of her once he had noticed her warning glare. 'Yeah, we'll build up to the hugging stage gradually.'

_'Good Lord, what have I done? Hugging?'_

'But you used to like a good hug, back when we were kids.' It was almost as though he had read her mind. 'What happened to change that?'

_'Everything happened.' _She thought to herself. _'Besides, hugging leads to emotional attachments that I really cannot afford to have.'_

'Well, alright, if you're not going to answer me.' He forced a smile. 'I'll leave you to your tinkering. Hey,' he pointed to the motherboard, 'do you think anyone will mind if I take this?'

Chell simply shrugged, but Wheatley clearly only took that as confirmation that the technology was now his to keep. Patting her on the shoulder he left, singing once again. 'Well I'm the kind of guy...'

_'What a looser.' _Chell thought, but the smile on her lips betrayed her fond thoughts.

'… That likes to roam around...' His singing died out as he crashed into a group of vortigaunts. 'Sorry, sorry. My fault, completely my fault... Sorry. Erm, here's your grub thing, that you were enjoying. Sorry again.'

Chell snorted with laughter, earning disapproving glances from the aliens nearby. Returning to her boots, she tried to focus her mind on repairing them, but found the sound of conversations in an alien tongue too distracting. Shoving her foot back into the boot, she closed the toolbox and carried it to her makeshift bedroom. It was a quaint, if not cramped, little room, with carved rock walls and sturdy metallic beams. The bed was nothing more than an old mattress and a thin sheet, but as these caverns were already quite warm she needed nothing thicker. A small wind up lamp sat on top of an old supply crate next to the bed, and the room was sealed off from the corridor outside by a tattered curtain.

She pulled the curtain across the doorway and, with her superior vision, found the lamp in the dark. With a click the dim lighting cast jagged and thick uneven shadows across the room. Once upon a time these bedroom shadows would have terrified her, and she would have fled to wherever her parents were sleeping, so that she could snuggle herself between them. Now these shadows were actually a source of comfort, as she could retreat into the shade and completely shield herself away from everything.

Well, not completely.

As she sat herself on the mattress, freeing her feet from her boots, she felt the ghost of Wheatley's arms around her. She stopped to remember the feeling for a moment, before she shook away her thoughts and put her boots to one side. She could continue her improvements tomorrow, when she had found some reliable materials to use. For now, she would try to get some sleep.

Chell sprawled herself out on the mattress, staring up at the uneven ceiling. Alone with her thoughts, and with nothing to distract her, the memory of the hug returned in full force. Forcing it away, it changed instead to the warm embrace that her father had so often given her as a child, before melting into the gentle and delicate arms of her mother, with the memory of her fingers combing through her hair.

Rolling onto her side, Chell brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. _'I don't need anyone else's arms. I have my own. I don't need anyone's embrace – I am stronger than that.'_

Outside she could hear Wheatley singing, once again, as he returned to his own room. And she smiled.

'And when I find myself falling for some girl, I hop right in that car of mine, I drive around the world...'


	26. A Matter Of Trust

Author's Note: Oh my God! Chapter Twenty-Five (or twenty-six, if you follow the FF numbering system). I can't believe it. Thanks guys, for the reviews and the follows. You guys are the best. I know I say that a lot, but it doesn't mean that I really mean it any less.

Anywho, yay for the first anniversary of Portal 2! To celebrate, have the longest chapter that I have ever written for a fanfiction. Ever. It's nearly 8,000 words :o . I struggled to write that much for my old university dissertations! Well, I suppose I didn't enjoy writing those, so that may have had something to do with it.

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Five<span>

A Matter Of Trust

Chell woke with a quiet yawn, and stretched out her sleep-dulled limbs in an attempt to stimulate them. With a fuzzy head Chell opened her eyes to the engulfing darkness around her, blinking away the traces of sleep that had lined her eyes. As her vision became clearer she could make out traces of shapes and colours, and they all helped to make up a solitary figure that was kneeling by her side.

'Chell,' Wheatley breathed, 'are you awake?'

_'Whoa!'_ Chell sat bolt upright with a jerk, narrowly avoiding a crash between her face and his._ 'Jesus, Wheatley. What the Hell are you doing in my room?' _She scowled at him, even though he couldn't possibly see it. She was furious with him – surely this counted as breaking and entering, only without the breaking. After all, you could not really break into a room shielded only by a curtain.

'Oh good, you are. Look, I need to talk to you.'

Chell rubbed at her eyes.

'Listen; do you think we should, you know, er... hmm.'

_'What, Wheatley? I was enjoying being asleep...'_

'Well, I was thinking that, perhaps, we should try to work on our slight difficulty in communication.' He shifted uncomfortably. 'I mean... well, I talk all the time, but you never do. So, perhaps you could just say a word. One word. Just one, tiny word. Please?'

Chell lay herself back down on the mattress and covered her face with her hands. Clearly he believed that she could still speak, but simply chose not to. She snorted with self-depreciating humour; she would have loved to tell him that he was wrong.

'Come on, one word. I know!' He sounded positively ecstatic. 'Say apple. Apple! Simple, easy word, app- ow!' He rubbed gingerly at his thigh, massaging the spot where Chell had slapped him. 'What was that for?'

_'You know what.' _

'Seriously, that hurt. Now look,' he reached out blindly for her in the dark, 'this is important. We need to be able to communicate. How else are we supposed to tell each other what's going on?' His arms flailed out above her, and Chell fought the urge to smack them both away. 'Instructions! How are we supposed to give each other instructions? And advice. Friendly advice cannot be a one way system.'

His arms returned to his sides as he sighed. 'I had a plan. What if – and this is just an idea, so don't get too excited – what if you actually strike up a conversation at some point today? With me, of course, not with anyone else. And we'll see where we go from there.'

_'I can't speak, moron. My vocal chords don't work anymore.' _Chell's harsh thoughts softened. _'But how is he supposed to know that? Get real, Chell, he's clueless and it isn't his fault.' _

'Well, please say or do something to at least acknowledge what I was saying. Please.'

_'I can't, Wheatley.'_

'Just hit me... No! Actually, no, don't hit me. Cough. Or blink. No, don't blink. Erm... squeak?'

Chell had just about had enough of this. Flipping herself to her feet, and feeling thoroughly naked without her Long Fall Boots, she took hold of Wheatley's arm and led him towards the curtain-hidden doorway. The two of them stepped outside into the pallid fluorescent light of the corridor where Chell turned to face Wheatley. She pointed at her throat.

'Oh, erm, okay. Sore throat?'

Chell rolled her eyes and shook her head, pointing to her throat once again.

Wheatley frowned and rubbed at his chin. 'Throat... lozenge? Throat... no, not throat. Erm. Hang on, why are we playing bloody charades?'

Chell massaged the bridge of her nose.

'Oh, we weren't playing charades? Well, that's good, because I was wondering...'

Once again, Chell pointed to her throat, but this time she opened her mouth to speak. With effort she managed to let out a strangled, breathy groan, but nothing more. Wheatley raised an eyebrow, clearly lost for thought. But then something seemed to click inside his brain, and his face betrayed the sudden realisation that hit him like a cold ocean wave. 'You can't speak, can you?'

_'Finally, he gets it.'_ Chell threw her arms up into the air, allowing herself to slump against the nearest wall.

'But why? What happened?' He paused, and his face clouded over with a growing storm. 'It wasn't _her_ was it?'

Chell shook her head.

'Well what then? Give me a sign, Chell; just give me something I can work with.'

She could only shrug in reply.

'That doesn't help, you know.'

_'I know, but you'll just have to live with it.' _

'Well, if you insist on being so vague then I suppose...'

A sound like rolling thunder echoed through the caverns from the surface high above. With a sustained paused silence, the two of them looked up to the earth above their heads. A second rumble echoed dully throughout the tunnels. The tremors came shortly after.

'What the Hell is that?' Wheatley asked, his voice shaking as dirt and dust was shaken free from the ceiling. The lights blinked. 'Seriously, what the Hell is it?' He was pushed aside by Chell as she returned to her room, collecting her Long Fall Boots from the floor and clasping her legs safely inside of them. She found her utility belt and, with dexterous fingers, fastened it around her waist in a matter of seconds. Without another thought, she signalled for Wheatley to follow as she headed down the corridor in search of someone who could tell them what was happening.

More tremors followed, with each one becoming more powerful than the last.

'Wait, hang on. I need to get something.' Wheatley ducked behind the curtain of what was his own room, and emerged soon after with his motherboard. 'If there's something going on, I am not letting this get lost. No way.'

Chell had no time to shoot him a disapproving glance. They had both been thrown to the ground by the quaking beneath their feet, and their ears rang out with a high-pitched whistling trill, before they could even register what had happened. For Chell, however, the realisation of what had happened came to her much more quickly then it did to Wheatley: there had been an explosion, and it was too close by to not be considered as a threat.

'What's going on!' Wheatley screamed, tripping as the spring of his boot became snagged in a pile of debris.

The ground shook, dust flew, and earth and stone fell atop them in ever growing quantities. _'Shit,' _Chell's eyes widened, _'we have got to get out of here.' _

Wheatley was thinking the same. 'We've got to go!'

In a flurry of arms and legs, both Chell and Wheatley fled from the collapsing tunnel. The carved walls groaned under their own weight, collapsing on top of themselves. The crashing sounds of colliding rocks and stones was deafening, especially to Chell. She winced in pain as each new crash shot a red hot sensation through her skull.

'Look! The end of the tunnel!' Wheatley cried. 'Keep running, we're almost there!'

_'I wasn't planning on stopping!' _

'Hurry!'

_'Oh, yeah, because I wasn't thinking that already!' _

With one last push, they both escaped from the tunnel. It had completely collapsed only moments later, creating a thick shroud of dirty air in its wake.

'Oh my God...' Wheatley croaked, fighting for breath. 'We could... could have been in there. We could have died. _I_ could have died.' It seemed as though a sense of his own mortality had finally caught up with him. 'Oh God, if I die I don't have a memory back-up, or a spare body. I'll be dead. Dead! Crushed like a daisy under a foot! BEING HUMAN SUCKS! How could I never see this before?'

_'This isn't the right time for that!' _Chell roughly grabbed at Wheatley's arm and dragged him in the direction of the large living area where it seemed the vast majority of the camp members had gathered. Sii-Hya was stood high up on a protruding rock, speaking loudly in the vortigaunt tongue.

'I wish I knew what he was saying.' Wheatley whispered in Chell's ear. 'I don't like being in the minority group that doesn't understand.'

_'Shut up, Wheatley!' _

Sii-Hya continued to speak to his attentive audience. They must have agreed or cheered to whatever it was that he had said, as he roused a mighty cry of approval from the crowd beneath him. With a pause he looked briefly in Chell and Wheatley's direction, nodded quickly to them, and continued his speech.

'Is he talking about us? He is – I think he is.'

Another almighty tremor threw everyone to the ground. Chell landed on her knees and grunted in pain as the sensation travelled up through her spine and down her legs. Dust filled the air that she was forcing herself to breathe, as she took in lungs full of dirt and a pungent metallic taste. Struggling to push herself from the floor, she looked up to find silhouettes move around the dusty clouds and strewn rubble, listening to the terrified screams of their alien hosts. A sharp smell of smoke burnt at her nose - there was a fire not too far away from here.

'Chell! Chell, oh thank God.' Wheatley collapsed next to her, with the motherboard clutched tightly to his chest. Chell's eyes widened when she saw the thin trail of blood flowing down his face, starting deep within his filthy hair. 'I got a bump on the head. Nothing serious. I think. But you...' His eyes thinned. 'Are you okay? There's blood dripping from your mouth.'

Chell licked at her lips, tasting the bitter flavour of blood. She had bitten her lip hard as she had fallen, it seemed.

There was another thundering crash above their heads, and the cavern shook once more. A desperate voice called out to both Chell and Wheatley, begging them to reply.

_'Here. Over here!' _

Sii-Hya emerged from one of the many growing dust clouds, and looked upon both humans with a look of relief. 'Michelle Johnson, Wheatley Morrison, I am so glad to find you both alive.' He helped them both to stand, before quickly leading them away through the chaotic landscape of jagged rocks and falling stones. 'You cannot stay here. The Combine have found us.'

'They what?' Wheatley croaked. 'How? When?'

'We do not know. It is clear, however, that they know not of your presence here. If they did have this knowledge, then they would not be bombarding us with this onslaught.'

'But where the Hell are we supposed to go? We haven't made any plans!'

'The Michelle Johnson will guide you, Wheatley Morrison. She is well versed in the arts of survival and quick-thinking.' Sii-Hya replied, trying to calm Wheatley's worried thoughts. 'I shall take you to a supply room, and give you as much as we can spare. Then you must both flee. Return to Aperture, for only then can there be a change for the better.'

Together the three of them stumbled across the uneven floor, traversing their way to one of the many storage areas. Once inside, Sii-Hya began to rummage through the now mountainous piles of food, medical equipment, clothing and accessories, that had been thrown upon the ground by the tremors. 'I know there are items here that will help you on your way. I must find them.'

Wheatley tapped Sii-Hya on the shoulder. He looked completely distressed. 'What about you guys? Where will you all go?'

'We shall stay and fight. Those of us that survive will will find a new home.'

_'Aperture.'_

Sii-Hya glanced at Chell quickly before returning to the piles upon the floor. _'We cannot. Aperture is for this world, not ours.'_

Wheatley, however unknowingly it was, answered for Chell. 'But you could come with us. Humans and vortigaunts, side by side, making a better future for the world. Just picture it; your wisdom, with human creativity.' He looked to the alien imploringly. 'Please.'

'We cannot...'

'Chell, they can, can't they? They can come with us?'

She nodded furiously in reply.

'We appreciate the gesture, but we are creatures of the vortessence. Humans are creatures of science. Our beliefs would become a source of great conflict.'

'Pfft. But Chell here is religious. Her parents were religious too, if you don't mind me saying Chell, and they existed with science quite well, thank you very much.'

Sii-Hya began to consider Wheatley's words when they were interrupted by the shaking floor and tumult of thunderous crashes. 'There is no time. Here...' He had found a single, well-sized backpack amongst the strewn items, and began filling it with food parcels, blankets, medical kits and pieces of broken technology, accompanied by a small toolkit. He turned to Wheatley. 'Listen dutifully. Wheatley Morrison, with this backpack comes great responsibility; you will be The Forever Faithful, the one to carry Aperture through both dark and light. You will be keeper of all things, and he who creates lives anew.' As he finished he handed the bag to Wheatley, who looked thoroughly uncomfortable at the alien's words.

Next, Sii-Hya found a single, well-polished and fully-loaded USP Match. Wheatley let out an interesting croak as the handgun was handed to Chell, who, rather worryingly, held it expertly in her hand. After passing some spare ammunition clips to her, Sii-Hya spoke. 'Michelle Johnson; you are the defender of humanity, you are The Absolute Future. Like The One Free Man, you have the power to shape that which is yet uncertain and unseen and, ultimately, lead the people to a greater good, or an ever more terrible fate. Make your decisions carefully, consider all that is fact and opinion. No one can choose your path but yourself.'

Somewhere, deep inside her mind, Chell could hear the auto-tuned voice of GLaDOS echoing to her through a very distant memory. _'You chose this path, now I have a surprise for you...' _She shuddered at her thoughts. If only she had known back then that those words could ring with such appropriateness now. If she was supposed to help humanity to thrive, then they were all in trouble. She would make the wrong decision, just as she had made the wrong decision that had led to her life spiralling ever further downwards into deeper and darker pits of despair. If it hadn't been for their current situation, she would have found somewhere quiet to weep. She wasn't prepared for something like this. She was terrified – didn't leaders of men have to be fearless?

Another crash brought rocks tumbling down from the ceiling. 'We must leave, now!' Sii-Hya barked, pushing both Chell and Wheatley from the room. Once outside, Chell pocketed the clips and clipped her new gun onto her belt, whilst Wheatley safely stashed the motherboard inside his bag and swung it onto his back. 'Right, now where?'

'To the surface, and quickly.' Sii-Hya led the way, as the three of them weaved and darted through jagged rocks and falling debris, tripping over the lifeless bodies of those that had been hit or crushed under massive blocks of earth and solid minerals. Chell felt a gag reflex pull at her throat. It was like her childhood... all of these dead bodies, of people who had only been trying to make a living; a complete waste of valuable life.

'_Michelle! Listen.' _She heard Doug's frayed voice in the forefront of her mind._ 'We're going to play a game, okay? Let's see who can keep their eyes closed the longest.'_

_'But I can't close my eyes.'_ Chell thought bitterly. _'They've always been open, and now they'll have to stay that way.' _

'This way! Quickly, before it is too late!'

'We're running as fast as we can!' Wheatley roared in reply, his lungs burning and his legs sore from running. 'You try running on your toes, because that's what these bloody boots make you do!'

Sii-Hya led them both down a path that neither human had ever followed, a path that climbed up a steep incline without the benefit of steps. To make life more difficult, the tremors had shaken loose the packed stones beneath their feet, turning an otherwise solid surface into unstable scree that slipped away at even the slightest touch. Alien and humans alike were forced to cling onto the walls for support, their arms pulling their bodies to heights that their legs alone could not climb.

'This is ridiculous!' Wheatley gasped, following the path that Chell followed. 'Why did you guys live so far down?'

Sii-Hya chose not to respond, too busy with the climb.

After an eternity of scuffed knees and falls, the path levelled out into a thin and low-ceilinged corridor. Wheatley had to bow deeply to even fit inside.

'Ahead there is a concealed door. I shall open it, and you must both follow where it leads.' Sii-Hya looked over his shoulder to both humans, wobbling on his exhausted legs as tremor upon tremor shook the underground lair. Finally he stopped at what appeared to be a dead end. 'You must protect one another, fight side by side and return to Aperture as quickly as you can. Take the rail road – there are supply trains that leave City Six. Once aboard you will pass through all Combine force fields with no difficulty. If you choose not to use the train, then your escape will be far more difficult. Good luck.' And he bowed his head in the utmost respect.

Running a claw long the wall, Sii-Hya emitted a single static charge from his palm. The sound of gears groaned into life, and the wall began to slowly swing to one side.

'Wow...' Wheatley grinned. 'That is amazing, absolute... COMBINE!'

Sii-Hya turned to where he was pointing, finding a lone Civil Protection officer on the other side of the door. In a matter of nano seconds Chell had found her gun, but Sii-Hya had already turned on the man and shot a fork of pure electricity into the officer's body from his hands. The Civil Protection officer now lay lifeless on the floor, his uniform smoking from the singes left by the shock.

'That was bloody amazing.' Wheatley breathed in awe. 'Terrifying, but amazing.'

'Thank you, Wheatley Morrison. But now I must bid you both a fond farewell. I wish you all the best in your endeavours.'

'Please, just come with us. All of you.' Wheatley pleaded. 'Even if you don't follow us to Aperture, just get away from here. You don't have to die...'

'We are not afraid of death, Wheatley Morrison. We both accept and embrace it, and we shall fight even in the face of our demise.'

_'But just think about it.' _Chell turned her thoughts towards the alien. _'Is there anyway to contact you, when we get back to Aperture?'_

_'Through the vortessence, of course.'_

_'How?' _

_'It will happen should you find the need. Why do you ask?'_

Chell smiled. _'When we get back, I'll send you a message. Hopefully, by then, you will be sure of what you want to do.' _

The vortigaunt seemed to nod, but turned to the open doorway that led into the basement of an old building. 'Please, you must both go. Farewell, Michelle Johnson. Farewell, Wheatley Morrison. Let the strength of the vortessence of your loved ones become your own – let the light of The Johnson Elders lead you through the dark.'

'And what about my dad?' Asked a rather sullen looking Wheatley. 'I don't really remember my mum still, but my dad I remember clearly.'

Chell was stunned. His mother had abandoned both Wheatley and his father when he had been six years old – he had told her about this when they were children. Could he really not remember a memory like that? Was his mind still unable to recall memories correctly? Her heart went out to him in those few seconds. _'Poor Wheatley. Why didn't he say anything?' _

Wheatley, however, remained unaware of Chell's inner thoughts. 'Will my dad's vortessence be with us?'

'Your father is still very much alive, Wheatley Morrison.'

'He's what?'

'He is alive, and safe from harm.' Sii-Hya replied kindly. 'Let that thought alone give you the drive to continue forwards when the times are most dark.'

Another tremor brought the group's thoughts back to their current situation, and Wheatley smiled sadly before waving goodbye. 'Thanks for everything, Sii-Hya. We really appreciate it.'

_'Yes, thank you. And good luck, yourself.' _Chell bowed her head with the respect so often shown to her.

Sii-Hya waved after the two humans as they passed him, before closing the door on their retreating backs. Both Chell and Wheatley heard the door close with a thud, and the gears that moved it lock tightly in place and become silent. As the two of them made their quick but careful way through the basement, Wheatley could not help but contain his utter joy. 'My dad's alive. He's alive Chell! I don't know how, but he's alive.'

Chell gave him a warm smile in return. _'Good for you, Wheatley. I'm glad one of us got good news.' _

_**Accessing external memory data. View? **_

GLaDOS frowned, turning her attention away from the two testing robots currently playing tag and instead to the announcement that had appeared inside her internal vision.

'What do you think it is?' Caroline asked. 'Is it Prometheus again?'

'I'm not sure, so we'll just ignore it.' GLaDOS cancelled the command. With that done, she returned to the robots. 'If you continue with this stupidity, I shall have to deduct collaboration points from the both of...'

_**Accessing external memory data. View?**_

'Again?' Caroline sounded surprised. 'Well, whatever it is, it wants attention.'

'Whatever it is, it is irritating.' Again, she cancelled the command. 'Nothing should be able to do that under lockdown conditions. Well, apart from myself of course, but that is only because I am brilliant.'

'Has anyone ever told you that you have an over-inflated sense of your own self-importance?'

'Yes, but then I killed them, so their opinion was invalid.'

_**Accessing external memory data. View?**_

'In the name of Schrödinger!' GLaDOS roared. 'No, no, and no!'

'Like I said, somebody wants attention.' She paused, the smile in her voice fading out into serious thought. 'What if it's Cave?'

'His data is encrypted – locked away – he wouldn't have the ability to contact us like this.'

'He was giving it a damned good go before though, wasn't he?'

_**Accessing external memory data. View?**_

'See?'

'No! I don't want to see it, now go away!'

_**Accessing external memory data. View?**_

'Leave me alone! I'm busy doing nothing but the bare minimum. It is very time consuming. Good bye.'

_**Accessing external memory data. View?**_

Caroline chuckled. 'Why don't you just say yes? It can't possibly be that bad.'

GLaDOS' only reply was an exaggerated shake of her head and a snort of disapproval.

_**Accessing external memory data. View?**_

'They'll only continue asking, you know.'

'I am well aware of that, thank you.'

There was an expectant pause, from both Caroline and the announcement system. Even P-Body and Atlas were watching her.

'Fine, you whining, persistent bore. You are as bad as Caroline. View.'

_**Play**_

They watched as Aperture corridors and scientists in lab coats rushed passed them in a blur. They were in a human's mind, following them as they tore through the building at speed. At first, both Caroline and GLaDOS were unsure of whose mind they were delving into, but then they heard Caroline's voice call out from behind the sprinting figure. _'Michelle! Michelle, where are you?'_ She sounded exhausted and was fighting for breath.

But then _his _voice escaped from the lips of the man whose memories were being shown to them. _'Chell? Come on, kiddo! Now is not the time to play hide and seek!' _

Caroline watched the memory in horror, as her own memory caught up with her. 'Oh God no... not this. Please, whoever you are, why are you making us watch this?' She turned back to GLaDOS. 'Please turn it off!'

'I tried to turn it off when I realised what it was.'

'No...'

_Cave turned a corner at speed, his lungs burning. This sprint would have been difficult enough for a younger man, but for a man of Cave's years it was excruciating. If it were not for the fact that Chell was missing, and for the danger growing inside the pipes of Pump Station Gamma, then he would never have even considered running in the first place. _

'Do not let her be anywhere near that place, Lord.' _He pleaded, his eyes darting up towards the ceiling in silent prayer. _'Please let her be somewhere else: somewhere safer.'

_'Michelle!' Caroline cried out behind him. 'Please, sweetheart, we're sorry! We've stopped arguing, now please... please!' _

_Cave rushed passed yet another group of scientists, all of whom were doing nothing but sipping coffee. 'You!' He pointed at them. 'Get your lazy, no-good asses into gear, and help me find my daughter!' The scientists mobilised, scattering in different directions. _

_After what seemed to be hours both he and Caroline had finally made it to the main security room. 'Can you see her?' Cave demanded, slapping the security officer on the back to wake him. 'Can you see my daughter anywhere?'_

_'Sorry, sir. What?'_

_'You lazy bastard. Once this is over you are fired!' Cave pushed the guard aside, his eyes scanning each and every screen. He flicked through the cameras with haste and a rising sense of panic growing inside his chest, one that made him want to vomit. _'Nothing here. Not on this one. Or this one... where are you, kiddo?'

_'There!' Caroline cried, before a shrill squeak escaped her lips. Cave moved to her side, turning to the camera that she promptly pointed out to him. _

_It was Chell. She was stood next to a vast mangle of pipes, near a flight of steps. She was looking up at one of them, and had clasped her hands to her ears. She was shaking. 'No...' Cave breathed, his voice broken and hoarse; she was in that accused Pump Station. 'I've got to get down there.'_

_'You can't, sir.' The guard replied, his eyes wide with fear as he realised what was happening.'The doors have locked – security protocols...' _

_'FORGET THE PROTOCOLS! DO SOMETHING!'_

_'I can't, sir! They won't open until the trouble is over. Sir?'_

_'Cave?' Caroline quickly followed in his wake as he fled from the room. He felt her clutch at the sleeve of his shirt. 'Cave, what are you doing?'_

_He turned to face her, making his face look as confidant as he could. 'You need to stay here, and make sure nothing else goes wrong. All Hell could break loose at this point. Just trust me.' He planted a gentle kiss on her lips, before turning on his heel and running in the direction of the station. _

_Cave could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He could feel every muscle in his body burning. But he couldn't stop, and he wouldn't stop until he had got Chell out of that room. If that Conversion Gel pipe exploded, and she were covered in that stuff... He shook his head, clearing away those terrible thoughts. He wouldn't let it happen. He couldn't – she was his little girl, Caroline's little girl, and he would be damned if he let her get hurt, if he let her die from whatever toxin was in that gel. _

_People scattered as he ran through them, pushing them aside in fury and fear. Perhaps this was a punishment? After all, even he knew that he was a complete bastard, but he had never really cared about it. He got what he wanted, he achieved what he wanted to achieve, no matter the cost to other people's lives. As long as he was happy, nobody else mattered. Perhaps now the balance was being restored? After all, he had destroyed so many lives. Perhaps God had had enough? And what better way to punish Cave then to bring harm to his own beloved daughter – his pride and joy. She and Caroline meant the world to him. He couldn't loose either of them. He would die without them. _

_Running through an emancipation grill, Cave felt the familiar tingling sensation that searched his body for any hidden testing elements. It only served to remind him that he had to double his pace, as the station loomed in his immediate vision. _

_He could see Chell in his mind's eye, shaking in fear with her hands over her ears, trying to drown out the sound of building pressure in the pipe. 'Chell, I'm coming baby girl. Just hold on, please, dear God, hold on.' _

_Not Chell. Not Caroline. Anyone but either of them. Caroline was his saving grace, his reason for living. Chell was the child that he had so desperately wanted, but had never admitted to it. He had worried that he would never have been able to spend enough time with her, and so put up an act that led others to believe that he had never wanted kids, an act that even Caroline believed up to this day. It had seemed like a great idea at the time – he would love Chell from a distance, but he would never let her become attached to him. That way, if he never spent time with her, it would not have upset her. But that plan was ruined from the first moment he had ever held her in his arms. _

_And he had been right – he had not spent enough time with her, and now that time would be cut ever more short if he didn't pick up his pace. _

_Throwing his body against the push-bar of the door into the station, Cave fell into the ante-room and ran at the security doors with a howl. Clawing desperately at the line in which both shutters met, he tried his damnedest to pull them apart, but it was no good; he had helped to design these doors – he knew that they would survive even a bomb blast. _

_That was when the air vent caught his eye. It was obscured by shadow, but if he could climb on top of the pipes in this room then he could easily reach it. Cave hoisted himself up, his hand struggling to find a surface on which to grip, and pushed himself up with all of the strength that his legs could muster. It was only Chell's safety, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins, that were now keeping him from collapsing in an exhausted heap upon the floor. _

_With a pull the vent cover was torn from the wall, and Cave wormed his way inside. It may have been easy to reach, but it was difficult to fit into. He could only hope that he did not trap himself in here, as the metal walls chaffed the skin of his shoulders and elbows, and drew blood in their wake. Through the darkness he could see a little light from the exit into the Pump Station. He could hear the cacophony of mounting pressure in the pipes, and the thundering moan of metal under extreme pressure. It was deafening, and rung in his head as a persistent and bellowing cry. If it was this bad for him, for Chell it would have been much worse. _

_Struggling to bend around a corner, Cave strangled himself with his own tie. In anger he ripped it from his throat, tossing it aside as he came up to yet another vent cover. Through it he could see Chell, huddled in a tight ball on the tips of her toes. 'Chell!' Cave called through the bars. 'Chell, kiddo, over here!' _

_She couldn't hear him as his voice was drowned out by all other sound. _

_With both hands wrapped around the bars of the cover, Cave pushed with all of his strength, feeling the cheaply made nuts and bolts give way under the force. The cover fell away and Cave followed, pulling himself free of the vent and tumbling with a crash to the floor below. 'Chell!' He called again as he pushed himself to his feet, wobbling under his own weight. 'Chell! Get away from there!' _

_The safety valve was buckling under the pressure of the bulge in the pipe below. Either the pipe would explode or the valve would give way, but both would occur in only a matter of seconds. _

_Seconds. There was no time to get her safely out of the way. Unless..._

_What Cave did next, he realised was the first selfless thing that he had ever done. Vaulting over the handrails of the nearest catwalk, Cave fell to the ground and sprang towards his daughter. Her back was to him, but as he approached it seemed that she had heard his footsteps. Her head had begun to turn just as Cave scooped her up into his arms, turning her away from the pipe as the valve exploded, throwing Conversion Gel high up into the air. Shielding his daughter with his own body, Cave waited with dread for the gel to meet his back. _

_He was going to die, and it would be the gel that he had been so adamant on using for funding that would kill him. _'Oh sweet irony.'

_With a force like falling bricks, the gel landed upon Cave who gave one, single bark before forcing himself to bite back any display of pain. 'Daddy?' Chell sounded so terrified. 'Daddy, I scared.'_

_'I know, sweetheart. Shh... Daddy's got you.' He held her tighter as gel continued to cascade upon him, burning away at his skin. Oh God, it was pure agony. Pure, writhing agony that made him want to scream so loudly that he would have burst his lungs in doing so. It was seeping through his clothes, through his hair, and through the now bloody cuts on his shoulders and elbows. It was going to enter his bloodstream... _

_Cave gave a single, broken sob. _

_'Daddy? Daddy!' She hiccuped, her voice broken by tears and her own chocked sobs._

_'Shh, Chell, it will all be over soon. I promise.' _

_But Chell had heard the suppressed pain in his voice. 'Daddy. You h-hurt.'_

_'I'm fine, sweetheart. I promise.' His words couldn't have been further from the truth. It felt as though he had been set alight. Infact, being on fire would have been far preferably to this. At least he would have been warm. The gel was freezing him through to his bones, and burning every part of him that it touched. _

_Finally the cascade of gel ended as the pump's store had been drained dry, its contents now spilt all around the Pump Station and upon Cave. _

_Biting his lip, Cave tried to straighten, but the pain that he was in stopped him. Instead, he cast his eyes upon Chell, searching for any speck of white upon her body. 'Chell, did any of the gel touch you?'_

_'No.' She was still crying._

_'Hey, come on, kiddo. It's over. It's alright: I've got you.' _

_'I wa... don... no be h-here.' _

_Cave looked about at the pool of gel on the floor. 'I know, but we've got to stay here. This gel is very slippery – I don't want you falling over in it.'_

_'B-but why?'_

_'Because... because...' He couldn't think properly under all this pain! What possible excuse could he give to Chell that wouldn't worry her? In the end, he decided that a slight truth would have to do. 'It will hurt you, kiddo. I don't want you getting hurt.' He spoke through gritted teeth. 'We'll have to stay here until someone comes to find us.'_

_'Daddy...'_

_'Shh, Chell. As long as I'm here you'll be alright. I'll look after you.' _

_Cave truly had no idea how long he had been standing there with Chell in his arms, nor how long he had been in so much unending agony that he wanted to scream, and to curse, and to damn whatever higher powers he could think of, but a group of scientists, security guards, doctors and engineers entered the room, each one of them donned in protective white hazardous material suits. The grips of their boots allowed them to walk through the gel without sliding, and as the group dispersed he could see Caroline high up on the catwalk. She was crying. _

_'Mr Johnson?' One of the suited men approached him. 'We're here to help you, sir.'_

_'Forget me, you idiot!' Cave spat, flinching in pain. 'Get my daughter out of here! Take her to the medical wing, make sure she hasn't got any of this stuff on her.' _

_'Yes, sir.' _

_'Daddy...' Chell tried to push herself into her father's chest when the man in the suit held out his arms to her. _

_'It's okay, sweetheart. He won't hurt you.' And with that Cave handed her over to him. Chell looked back at Cave with tears in her eyes and a look of horror upon her face. 'I love you, kiddo.' _

_She waved at him as she was carried away up the stairs and passed Caroline who planted a quick kiss on her forehead. _'Caroline, why aren't you going with her? Go with her!'

_But Caroline remained as a new set of people in hazard suits approached him. As Chell vanished from sight, Cave finally let out the screams that he had fought so hard to contain and fell to his knees in the gel. He was already going to die because of this stuff, so what did it matter if he knelt in it? _

_'Mr Johnson, you need to stand sir.'_

_But all of Cave's strength had dissipated. He was in pain, screaming in agony, and his skin burnt whilst his muscles became unbearably limp. He couldn't move, he couldn't even think coherently. His mind had gone blank now that he was finally allowed to succumb to the pain. _

_'Sir, please, you need to stand.' He felt arms around his own, trying to lift his limp weight. But he just wanted to lay down. Kneeling was too tiring..._

_'Cave!' He heard Caroline's voice cut through his quickly quieting cries. 'For God's sake, let them help you up!'_

_'Caroline...' He breathed, his throat now too raw to scream anymore. _

_'Get up, Cave! Up!' He heard her, but he couldn't obey her. His body had now had enough, and the world around him became a speckled, fading white. 'Cave!' _

_Everything faded away into a blissful numbness, and soon it became nothing. _

_**External memory data view complete. View again?**_

'Do you really think I'd want to watch that again?' GLaDOS mocked. 'Please, do not insult me. I remember everything – I don't need to watch it again. Also, I don't think Caroline really needs to see it again either. Thank you, whoever you are, for giving her a reason to be overly emotional. Again.'

Caroline said nothing, but instead thought back on what Cave had been thinking and what he had been feeling. Had he really wanted to be a father all along, or was this just some elaborate part of Prometheus' scheme? She was drawn towards the latter – after all, Cave's acting talents had always left a lot to be desired, and he had been so against Caroline having a child in the first place. But, then again, he had been the one to look into adoption and, when that had failed, had even turned to his own research to create a child.

Caroline didn't know what to think or believe. All she knew was, that if this memory had been the truth, then the pain that Cave had felt had been much worse than she could have ever imagined.

'Caroline?' GLaDOS' voice was silent, and almost concerned. 'Are you alright?'

'Yeah,' she replied quickly, 'yeah, I'm fine. Completely fine.'

'You are a terrible liar. You clearly are not happy.'

'I never said anything about happy.'

'Well, do you trust this source? Because I don't.'

'I honestly don't know what to believe anymore. I'll believe something when I see conclusive proof.'

'Good plan. Now you're thinking properly.'

Back in City Six, two humans emerged into the orange light of the burning sunset, and the smell of smoke and ash flooded their nostrils. Towers of flames licked the sky from the buildings behind them, and the heat, even from this distance, made sweat bead on their skin.

'So, which way to the train station?'

Chell looked down each available road and path, and offered Wheatley a shrug in reply. She had never been to this part of the city before.

'Oh. Right. Well, we'll just have to improvise.' He made his way passed her, looking for any tell-tale signs of public transportation. He jumped a little when he heard a gun being unloaded and then loaded again, and quickly turned to find Chell with the USP Match in her hand.

'So...' His voice broke as he gulped, his eyes never once leaving the gun. 'Have you ever used one of those things before? Guns, I mean.' He was stunned when Chell nodded in reply. 'But when? When have you ever had to, you know, shoot someone?'

Chell remembered it well. It was shortly after loosing her Companion Cube to Civil Protection. She had been cornered, trapped like a rat, by Combine footsoldiers. She had heard them closing in on her whilst she hid in the shadows of a collapsed basement, and had stumbled over the dead body of a Resistance fighter. At first she had been absolutely terrified of the mangled body and rotting flesh, but then she had seen the small handgun that they had dropped in death. It was still loaded.

Chell had seen real guns before – she had seen others use them during her long journey back to Aperture, and obviously she had seen the Combine use them too. But now she was trapped, and not even her wits could save her. She needed to maim and, possibly, kill.

Her first kill had been a Civil Protection officer. Chell had been ferociously sick when the adrenaline had vanished from her system and she had made her escape. But that officer had bee the first of many, until Chell had renounced firearms in place of night time movements and evasive manoeuvres. Now, here she was, holding one in her fingers again. She hated to admit it, but it would be a necessity should the Combine ever discover that she were returning to Aperture.

And then there was Wheatley. She needed to defend him, because Sii-Hya had told her to. At least, that was what she told herself.

'Erm, call me old fashioned, but aren't train stations usually signposted? Where are all the sign posts?' Wheatley, it seemed, had no desire to keep staring at the gun and had, instead, returned to his fruitless search. 'Surely even The Combine need to know where they're going?'

Chell smirked and made her way to his side.

'Come on, we've got to start somewhere, so why don't we just follow this road and see where it goes?'

Wheatley's plan was ruined when Chell heard a quiet, but approaching sound on the wind - the sound of a propeller and engines. Her eyes thinned against the sunlight, following the direction of the sound. And then she saw it, a vast flying silhouette against the fading sun, half alien and half machine. A gunship.

'Crap!' Wheatley had seen it too. 'Run!'

Chell didn't need to be told twice, as both she and Wheatley fled quickly in the opposite direction. Warning shots were fired, designed to frighten them both into submission, but Chell led Wheatley down a narrow alley way, vanishing from the full sight of the ship.

Then the heavy and ominous Combine klaxon rang out, like the bell toll of Hell itself, and both of them stopped dead in their tracks.

'What the Hell is that?' Wheatley demanded, covering his ears as the sound pounded inside his head. Chell flinched with each klaxon, but pointed out a Combine poster on the nearest wall.

'It's the Combine Klaxon?' He choked. 'That is not good. That is _not_ good. We are in so much trouble, Chell! Do you think they know where we're going?'

Chell could only nod in reply, as wave upon wave of fear crashed over her with each beat of the siren.

'Oh God, now all we need is Overwatch.'

The Combine Overwatch, the voice so often heard by Citizens all around the world. To hear the voice of the woman that voiced it, was to be made immediately aware that you and your loved ones would soon suffer at the hands of Civil Protection and the Combine menace. Chell hardly heard this voice, as she slept during the day and, at night, avoided areas where the Resistance worked.

But just as Wheatley had mentioned it, up sprang the monotone, clear and concise voice of The Combine Overwatch. 'Attention please, identified persons of interest: evasion behaviour consistent with non-compliance is considered to be conspiracy towards Combine benefactors. Contact your local Civil Protection team and cooperate, or immediate action will be taken.'

_'Like Hell I'll cooperate!' _Chell snarled, grabbing Wheatley by the hand and dragging him further along the alley.

'What do we do?' Wheatley sounded absolutely terrified. 'What the Hell do we do, Chell?'

In reply, Chell showed him the gun in her hand.

'Right. Fight for survival.'

She nodded, turning in time to see a group of Civil Protection officers block their exit. Wheatley screamed, cowering behind his hands, but Chell lifted the gun into the air, and fired off a quick succession of bullets that fell about her like rain. The officers were all dead within seconds, their headsets crackling into life, to warn Overwatch that their wearers had been killed.

Chell felt sick, and she shook with a sudden rush of adrenaline, guilt and grief. It took her a while to notice Wheatley's hand upon her shoulder, and even longer before she heard his voice. 'Hey, it's okay. Self-defence. Chell, it's okay. Look, we'll stay here a few minutes, and catch our breath, okay?'

But Overwatch had other ideas. 'Protection team alert: evidence of anti-civil activity in this community. Code: Assemble. Plan. Contain.'

'Oh God...' Wheatley breathed, his voice cut off as Overwatch spoken once again.

'Individual: you are charged with capital non-compliance. Anticitizen status approved for both you and your co-conspirator. Individuals: you are now charged with socio-endangerment, level five. Cease aversion immediately.'

'Anticitizens? We weren't citizens in the first place!'

The next Overwatch messages were directed to the Combine forces and the Citizens in turn. 'Attention, protection team: Codename, Heiress, is in this community. Code: Isolate. Expose. Administer. Citizen reminder: inaction is conspiracy. Report counter-behaviour to a Civil Protection team immediately.'

'Oh God, we are really in so much trouble.'

Chell could not have agreed more.


	27. Three Wise Cores

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Sorry about the delay. Been a bit busy lately, so I can only apologise for the lack of an update. But here you go! Also, this coming week, I'm going to be doing a whole heap of edits on this thing that are loooooong overdue. So there may not be an actual update for a week or so, but there will be edits if anybody wants to have a nosey at them. They won't be anything big - just getting rid of spelling and grammatical mistakes, making sections easier to read, and making sure every flows appropriately. I'll also be improving the quality of some of the sections of writing, because some of the stuff I've read now that I've left it for a while... well, it made me cringe a little.

Well, apart from that, enjoy folks!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Six<span>

Three Wise Cores

_When Chell had been thrown down into the depths of the Earth, she had never thought that she would stumble across this place again. Even the vast open space and trail of broken labs and test chambers leading to the huge vault door could not have led her to believe that she was making her way back towards _this_ place. But now she was on the other side of the open vault, passing through the rather unremarkable pushbar door beyond it and into yet another vast and intimidating space. A space surrounded by rocky outcrops that echoed with even the slightest sound. Acid pooled around the old and worn down walkways, and the stale stench of salt and the sharp smell of ozone filtered through her nose in a comforting and familiar manner. _

_What she found at the opposite end of the walkway, however, made her feel ecstatic. She forgot about all of her worries, and all of her cares, as her eyes were pulled upwards towards the structure of the elevator shaft and further still to the tower of massive spheres above her. _

_The Enrichment Spheres. Chell had honestly thought she would never see them again, not after Lucian Johnson had made damn sure that they were all but locked away. _

_But these spheres, they were things of beauty. Such scientific, test-specific beauty that drew tears from her eyes. Modern Aperture had lost its way, in Chell's opinion, under both Lucian Johnson's and GLaDOS' command. It was far too clinical, too perfect. It didn't have any love or feeling put into it. It was just a facility. This Aperture, however, showed the hardwork and the love and attention that had been put into it, even though it was now crumbling slowly into the acid pools below. _

_This was it; she was finally home. And she cried, tears of joy mingling with her silent laughter. After all those years of travelling by foot and by sneaking on to trains and buses, after finally returning to Aperture only to be put into stasis and forced into testing, and after skirting the thin line between life and death, she was finally home._

'Oh, Wheatley. You brilliant idiot.'_ She thought with a grin. _'Who knew your betrayal would lead me back home? Thank you, truly.'

_But then the ground beneath her feet shook, and she had to get to her knees to stop herself from toppling over the rail and into the acid below. Wheatley may have unknowingly brought her home, but he was destroying the facility above, it seemed. A facility that had a nuclear reactor which, if not maintained properly, would surely soon go into meltdown and destroy everything around it with the force of two fifty megaton bombs. GLaDOS had been able to control this reactor perfectly well, and in her absence the emergency protocols had obviously taken care of it too. But now she had put Wheatley in charge... _'Oh God, what have I done? I've signed Aperture's own death warrant.'

_That sobering thought brought her back to the harsh reality of her situation. She was stuck down here, alone, with very little time to make her way back up to the working facility. And what was she supposed to do if she got back up there in time? GLaDOS was the only one who could fix this and now she was lost, carried away by a bird hungry for the potato that she was currently housed inside. _

_Chell could only growl as the tremors stopped. When had Wheatley turned into this backstabbing moron? What had happened to the sweet and lovable boy that she had known and admired? _

_It was as Chell pushed herself to her feet that she had the strangest sensation that she was being watched. Turning quickly she found only a wall, a window-lined booth, and part of the broken walkway that led from the booth to the elevator shaft. There was no one else there. She really was alone. _

_Chell was about to consider the sheer lunacy that was climbing the rocky walls to the surface, when her eyes found an old bulkhead door that had been forced open by some unknown force. Painted above it was the year 1952. Without a second thought Chell ran to the door, finding the space large enough to shoot a portal through. She was about to shoot her second portal into the wall outside when she examined the door in great detail. At first glance it looked as though the broken wall sections piled against the door in the corridor beyond had been the force to push the door open. But now, as Chell surveyed it properly, it was obvious that the door had actually been torn open from the outside by some exceedingly strong being. _

_Chell froze. That unsettling feeling of being watched returned. Perhaps she was not alone after all? _

'No, stop it. Stop being so childish!'_ Chell screamed at herself. _'No one has been down here for years. If anybody was trapped in here they would have died a long time ago – nothing could survive down here...'

_But that bird had survived. _

'No, no, no. Stop. Just stop. You are alone. Alone. Get over it. Fear doesn't get you anywhere, remember? Just get going.'

_Deciding that her head was right and that her instinct was wrong, Chell shot the second portal into the wall next to her and slipped through the tears in the fabric of reality to the corridor beyond. There was a switch next to a set of closed doors that led into a dark cavernous room beyond, but what the switch did Chell could only guess. After all, she couldn't read any of the notes on the poster next to it. Yet, to all intents and purposes, it looked like a breaker switch and so, with a tug, Chell flipped it downwards and the doors next to her opened, bidding her access into the now dimly lit room beyond. _

_Bold steps led her forwards, making her way through a cave towards yet another broken and suspended set of walkways. Above those hung a large sign, with one of the old Aperture logos next to it – a broken circle with a representation of an atom inside. She passed another booth as she continued on towards the opposite wall where she could see a sealed lift shaft. _

_The silence was broken, rather rudely, by loud and official music that played over the speakers. But it was not this music that made her stop in her tracks. It was the voice that followed that did that. _

_'Welcome, gentlemen, to Aperture Science. Astronauts, war heroes, Olympians – you're here because we want the best, and you're it.' _

_Chell felt her mouth drop open. She had heard that voice many times in her memory, but she had always feared that her memory may have tainted it. Now she was hearing it not in memory but in reality, recorded so many years ago and heard by her today. _

_Her father's voice. _

_'So,' his voice continued, 'who's ready to make some science?'_

_'I am!' Another voice chirped in the background. Another voice that Chell had heard only in memory. _

'Mom?' _Chell felt herself begin to shake through a combination of adrenaline, shock and a kind of bitter-sweet happiness. She was home, and she had heard both of her parent's voices. _

_Chell had been so lost in her thoughts that she rejoined the message when it had almost finished. _

_'… transferred your honorarium to the charitable organization of your choice. Isn't that right, Caroline?'_

_'Yes sir, Mr Johnson.' _

_'She's the backbone of this facility. Pretty as a postcard too. Sorry fellas, she's married: to science!' _

_The music drew to a triumphant close, leaving Chell with a large smile on her face. She knew that they had not been married until the late sixties, but even in the fifties her dad had been making it all too clear that he had the hots for her mom. With a giggle Chell continued onwards. _

_Another tremor rocked the salt mine, and Chell steadied herself until it ended. The force, however, had shaken free the atom within the logo above, and it fell down to the ground with a deafening crash. _

_Chell looked around at her surroundings, searching for an exit. The lift shaft was a no-go, as she could already see from here that the door needed a code, and there was very little point in trying to break it down. She knew how strong those things were. The solution to her problem became obvious as she cast her eyes around the room. Portalling herself up to the girders above, she aimed an angled portal to propel her through the circle of the now clear Aperture logo and to the booth beyond, whilst she dived towards the ground below, aiming a second portal directly below her. She was flung through the air and through the logo, looping herself in mid air so that her feet collided with the wall opposite. With a graceful flip she pushed herself away from the wall with her toes and righted herself before touching the floor that led into the booth. _

_Once inside she realised that it was not just a booth, but rather a very warm and inviting waiting room. Thick red curtains were draped across the entrances from one room to another, and the reception room was lined with typewriters and desks. Old bookshelves lined the walls, now empty, and the patterned and wood panelled walls were age-worn. Plush seats were circled around empty ash trays, and the marble floor was lined with a warm, room long line of carpet. A trophy cabinet sat next to the door back out towards the Enrichment Spheres, and was full of newspaper clippings, certificates and trophies. _

_But none of these trinkets interested her. Instead her attention was drawn to the black and white portrait of her rightfully proud looking father. His then youthful face smiled out upon the world he had created and, as Chell placed a hand upon his, she heard his voice ring out from the speaker above. _

_'There's a thousand tests performed everyday here in our Enrichment Spheres. I can't personally oversee every one of them, so these pre-recorded messages will cover any questions you might have, and respond to any incidents that may occur in your science adventure.'_

_Chell smirked. "Incidents", to many, had been complete chaos. To her dad they had been minor setbacks. _

_'Your test assignment will vary depending on the manner in which you have bent the world to your will. Those of you helping us test the Repulsion Gel today, just follow the blue line on the floor.'_

'Repulsion Gel?' _Chell thought with a grin. She had loved the Repulsion Gel as a kid. Once her dad had made sure it was completely safe for her to use, he had let her play with it. It had been the best trampoline she had ever used. _

_'Those of you who volunteered to be injected with praying mantis DNA, I've got some good news and some bad news. Bad news is we've postponed those tests indefinitely. Good news is we've got a much better test for you: fighting an army of mantis men...'_

'Wait. What?'

_'Pick up a rifle and follow the yellow line. You'll know when the test starts.' _

_Mantis men. If a bird could live down here, could a mantis man do the same? She turned wildly about in search for a weapon. _'What rifle? I don't see a damned rifle, dad!' _She paused. She didn't see a blue or a yellow line either. _'You're being stupid again, Chell. Stop it. You don't suit stupid.'

_With one last longing look at her father's portrait, Chell left the waiting room and made her way over to the elevator that led to the Enrichment Spheres above. _

_She still couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching her. _

Chell looked back on this memory now, still in two minds about whether or not there really was something or someone watching her as she traversed the Enrichment Spheres. Even when she had found GLaDOS, she had believed that there was something there, watching her every move, and that belief had followed her up into the modern Aperture facility. It had been unsettling to say the least, but not once had she seen something following her. Back then she had simply put it down to fear and possible hallucinations derived from a lack of sleep and sustenance. But now..?

During these passed two years, Chell had learnt that her instinct was an invaluable ally and it had, in fact, never been wrong. And her instinct was telling her now that something had most definitely been watching her, following her, from the bowels of what she had christened as Old Aperture and into the functioning facility above.

Why was she even thinking about this? Oh, yes, she remembered now.

She and Wheatley had hidden themselves away inside an old and abandoned flat above what had once been a bar of some kind and, in his typically ridiculous fashion, Wheatley had tried to diffuse the tension of their situation by talking. About ghosts.

'I could have sworn that there was a spooky being watching me.' Wheatley was sat against an old wardrobe, his hand wafting around in the air as she told his story. 'You know, not in a nasty way or anything. Just watching me because I was there, I suppose. After all, it was an old library, and hardly anyone used it. It was probably just surprised to see someone there. If there is such a thing as ghosts, of course.'

_'Of course.' _Chell thought with a small smile as she looked out of the window, hidden from the outside world by the wall that she was leaning against. A few Citizens passed them by on the road below, occasionally followed by Civil Protection officers that were going about their daily duties of terrorizing the enslaved members of the human and vortigaunt species.

It was bright outside, with the sun burning through what little cloud there was in the sky. It was too dangerous to even attempt to move about in daylight as bright as this, and so they both waited for night to fall before their slow but steady journey to the train station continued.

It had been two days since they had left the vortigaunt camp, and little progress had been made as the two of them had been forced repeatedly into hiding.

Outside she could hear Overwatch repeatedly demanding that both of them were to come out of hiding and to turn themselves over to the Combine's possession, but neither Chell nor Wheatley now feared her voice – they had been forced to listen to it so many times since they had left the camp that they were actually bored of hearing it.

Wheatley yawned loudly, and stretched out his arms and legs. 'You know, Chell, if we survive this and we do make it back to the facility, I'm going to find a nice quiet spot and just sleep for ages.'

Chell silently thought that was a brilliant idea and that she would also be taking part in it herself, once all other Aperture-based problems had been dealt with accordingly.

'And do you know something else?' Wheatley continued, staring at the ceiling in thought. 'I will actually learn how to cook. I think I've earned the right to eat good food after this bloody farce, so I will learn how to cook, and I will make the best meals that will ever grace your taste-buds. Ever. Ever, ever, ever. Like... erm... chicken chow mein? Without the chicken, obviously. I haven't seen any chickens for a while. Plenty of crows though, so... what do you think crow tastes like?'

Chell thought before forcing a gag reflex to illustrate her opinion.

'Really? Oh, okay. Erm... hm. I'll have to think about menu options.' As Wheatley mumbled to himself about foodstuffs, Chell turned back to the window. She rolled her eyes and smiled. _This_ was the Wheatley she knew and admired, not the traitor driven insane by the power of a vast mainframe.

All this talk of food was making her hungry - maybe there was something to eat downstairs? Waving to get Wheatley's attention, she pointed to the door that led from the room.

'Wait, where are you going? Oh, you want me to come with you? Oh, okay. Where are _we_ going then? Downstairs? Why are we go... oh, hang on, just let me get my backpack on. There, right, where are we going?'

Chell rubbed at her stomach.

'Oh, good. It's not just me who's starving then. You know, we could just eat these food parcels Sii-Hya gave to us.'

Chell quickly shook her head. They were for emergencies only, but of course she hadn't been able to tell poor Wheatley that. She could only hope that he'd figure it out for himself.

'Well what are we going to find down there? Even if – and I say if – there is some kind of food down there, it will probably be mouldy, and seeing as I have problems with mould then that really isn't the best option.'

Stopping at the top of the stairs, Chell turned to Wheatley with a smile and punched him playfully in the arm. With this done she descended down the stairs, taking two steps at a time with a grace and balance that Wheatley could only ever dream of.

_'Wow,' _he thought with a smile growing on his lips as he rubbed the spot that Chell had touched, _'that's the most friendly thing she's done to me in a long time.'_ He paused his thoughts to sigh. _'I really missed having a friend.' _

At Aperture, three Personality Constructs hung from their one shared management rail. All were trapped within one, small and very dark room, until the security lockdown of the facility was over, and for the one Core stuck between his comrades, it was like Android Hell all over again.

After all, only an Adventure Sphere could have gone to Android Hell and lived to tell the tale upon his return.

'To make a photocopier, simply photocopy a mirror.' Charles said plainly, his purple optic unchanging as he rattled out fact after supposed fact. Rick didn't believe a word that his fellow Core uttered, but Tantalus actually humoured him, and this made Charles very happy indeed.

'Really?' Tantalus asked, his optical covers thinning. 'Because I thought they were made on a production line.'

'Fact: all other facts are lies. Only facts given by the Fact Sphere are true.'

'… Right.' Tantalus turned to Rick. 'Who gave him these facts?'

'Dunno, kid. Probably some stupid human.' Rick shook his spherical body as Charles continued to talk over them. 'But I wish they were here right now so that I could give them a piece of my mind. Or fist. Yeah, I'd give him a piece of my fist.'

'But you don't have any fists.'

'Yeah? Well, that doesn't stop me from swinging my body into their head now, does it?'

'I suppose not.' Tantalus fell silent and stared at the floor beneath him. Come to think of it, Tantalus had never seen any humans in this facility. He decided to question Rick about it.

'Really?' Rick looked surprised at Tantalus' revelation. 'Well, there are. A whole vault full of them. And then there were two humans that I've seen awake just recently. One was a total geek like four-eyes here, and the other was this hot kick-ass babe. Woo-hoo, what I wouldn't have liked to do with her!'

'Gross.' Tantalus whispered.

'Aw, shut your pie hole. But yeah, there used to be loads of humans around this place, years ago. Then, one day, they all died. All of them. Apart from the vault humans, and those other two I told you about. No idea why. They just dropped like flies.'

'What happened?'

'I said I didn't know, kid! Geez, what do you have to do to get a guy to listen to you?'

'Sorry...'

'That's alright. You're still learning. Well, I don't remember much, but I do remember this sort of green mist...'

Charles rounded on Rick, his optical covers thinned. 'Fact: the green mist that you are speaking of is also known as deadly neurotoxin.'

Tantalus stretched his optic from its casing so that he could clearly see Charles. 'Neurotoxin?'

'Yes. Neurotoxin: a toxin designed to specifically target the central nervous system, in particular the brain. It kills humans, but not technology.'

Rick's optic flared. 'Hold on, isn't that the stuff that our big old boss and that moron both tried to kill our little lady friend with?'

'It is, yes.' Charles nodded in reply.

'Well it can't be that deadly then. She survived. Twice!'

'Fact: Michelle Johnson was fast, and disposed of both threats very quickly.'

Both Tantalus and Rick looked to one another. Slowly, Rick turned back to Charles. 'What did you call her?'

'Michelle Johnson.'

'She has a name?' Rick sounded aghast. 'I thought Test Subjects didn't have names.'

'But Michelle Johnson is more than just a Test Subject.'

Tantalus scowled. That name sounded very familiar to him, but he could not quite place why.

'Well?' Rick continued. 'Who is she?'

Charles paused and closed his optical covers. 'Presenting slide show in three... two...'

'What slideshow? Hey, four...'

'One.'

When Charles opened his optical covers again, a beam of light illuminated the air in front of him, casting an image of a woman on the wall opposite them.

'Hey,' Rick growled appreciatively, 'it's the little lady. Man, she is beautiful.'

Tantalus silently agreed that she was. He was more concerned about why she looked so familiar, however, and turned back to Charles. 'Well, like Rick asked, who is she?'

Charles began to speak. 'She is Michelle Johnson, also known as Chell [REDACTED]. Born on the twenty-second of March 1973, she is the only child of Aperture Science founder and original CEO, Cave Johnson.' The picture he was projecting changed to the face of a man.

'Hey,' Rick chirped, 'can I do that? I'd have far more interesting stuff to show then you, pal. Heh, just think about it, all of my adventures in pictures for the world to see...'

'No, I am the only Core with a built in projector.'

'Well that blows.'

'Please return to the presentation.' He nodded at the image to reiterate his point. 'This is Cave Johnson. Born on the third of May 1921. Death date, twenty-third of December 1982.' The picture changed again, to show an image of another woman who looked very alike to the first. 'This is Caroline Johnson, wife of Cave Johnson and mother to Michelle Johnson. She was the second CEO of Aperture Science. Born on the sixteenth of August 1933. Death date, twenty-seventh of October 1985.' The picture vanished as Charles blinked and the projector turned off.

Rick sighed. 'Is there a point to any of this?'

'I am the Fact Core. I give facts. You wanted to know who Michelle Johnson was. I told you. Fact.'

'You talk to much.' Rick replied with a scornful tone.

Tantalus shook his body. 'Never mind that. What happened to her? Where did she go?'

'Michelle Johnson was forced to leave.' Charles spoke in his usual monotone. 'Her current location is unknown. The second human to whom the blowhard referred, Wheatley Morrison, has gone to find her.'

Rick snorted. 'And how in Hell's sweet name do you know that?'

'I am admin... admin... head of... Fact Core. Fact: rats cannot throw up. Error: fact not found. Please contact Head of Personnel Department, Charles H-H-H-H-E-A-T-H-H-H-H. Error: fact not found.' And Charles entered sleep mode, his optical covers sliding shut.

Both Rick and Tantalus looked on in confusion and concern. An uneasy silence now hung where there should have been a chattering voice, and their fellow Core was completely still.

'I've seen a lot of things in my time,' Rick began, his usually loud and intrusive voice falling quietly soft, 'but I've never seen him do that.'

'I've never heard him do that.' Tantalus nodded in agreement. 'And he has never spoken like that. This is weird.'

'I agree with you, kid, but there's not much we can do about it right now. ' Rick prodded Charles with one of his handles and waited, gauging his non-existent reaction. 'Nope. He's out cold. Oh man, I wish I had hands. I could draw on him! Hey, what's up with you kid?'

'I... I think I know that woman.'

'Which one? The hot babe, or her equally as hot mama?'

Tantalus shook his optic in disbelief.

'Hell, that Johnson fella was a lucky old dog. I'd love to wake up to that pretty face every day. And do you know what else I'd like to do to her?'

'No thanks. I can already imagine what you're thinking.'

'Ooo, damn. Life would be so sweet...'

Tantalus tuned himself out from Rick's monologue by turning his audio sensors off. At last he had silence, and plenty of free time in which to return to his escape plans. He may enjoy the company of his fellow Cores, but he still wanted to find a way out of here. Little did he realise that Rick's optic had turned off as the Adventure Core overwhelmed his circuits with a whole host of images that ran in his mind's eye, and he too was forced into sleep mode much like Charles.

In his enforced deafness, Tantalus also did not notice as Prometheus spoke to the room, well aware that nobody could hear him, see him or speak to him.

_Soon a new mortal entered this world of wonder, a man not unlike that who created him. The mortal traitor who turned on the God left a legacy in his wake, but this legacy remains oblivious to just how important he truly is. _

_The Traitor's Legacy. A man who desired nothing but freedom from the world in which he had unwittingly stumbled upon. A man who knew not the wonders of science, the power of wisdom, or the value of knowledge. He was an outsider, who came to the realm to seek out these truths for himself. _

_Yet his search ended in tragedy, and The Traitor's Legacy found the dead form of The Messenger, who lay stoically beside his last message. But The Traitor's Legacy ignored this most crucial message; now he remains in the realm, trapped and forever taunted by what could have been, and serves The Guardian as a loyal but unwitting servant and disciple to The Daughter Of Aperture. _

_They are watching for her now, the Unity Of Aperture, waiting patiently for her arrival. One watches out of spite, one watches out of kindness, and one watches because it must. Another waits for forgiveness. Another waits to be free. And the last, The Remnants Of The Ancient Past, waits to rise once more, though their desires are to remain forever unfulfilled. _

_Together they wait. For Her. _


	28. The Stranger

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Well, I got bored of editing (after finalising two chapters - God, that's so lazy) so I wrote this chapter :) . Those of you who know Half-Life will recognise the creep in this update. He gets everywhere, that guy. What. A. Stalker.

Also, the Perpetual Testing Initiative DLC is amazing :D . I've had so much fun designing test chambers and playing the stuff others have made. If anybody wants to have a nosey at the two I've made then just ask me and I'll point you in the right direction. Or, if anybody else has any tests they'd like to show off, then please let me know. I'd love to play them :) .

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Seven<span>

The Stranger

_Michelle skipped happily ahead of Caroline as they made their way through labyrinthine corridors of grey panels and dark natural stone, descending ever deeper into the Earth with each new flight of stairs that they followed. Their path took them across walkways that cut through the open subterranean caverns, where the air was cool and dry, and into the confined office spaces that housed both administration staff and heads of department alike. _

_Caroline watched as Michelle's backpack bounced upon her back with each hop from one foot to another. Eventually she turned to her mother with a smile. 'C-come on, mommy!' _

_'I'm coming, sweetheart.' Caroline replied, brushing her hair away from her face and straightening the scarf around her throat. _

_Caroline loved these Friday afternoons, on which the Aperture Academy closed early and sent the children home just after lunch. For many families it meant that the children were simply sent to the day care centre until their parents had finished work, but for the Johnson family it meant that Michelle would join her parents in their offices. When both Caroline and Cave had finished for the weekend the three of them would return to their apartment, now housed within the confines of the newly built Personnel Accommodation Wing, and pack their bags to leave for the farmhouse that same evening._

_Finally, after what seemed to Caroline like an eternity, they arrived at Cave's office door. With a knock Caroline let both her and Michelle inside. _

_'Daddy!' _

_'Hey, kiddo!' Cave, who had looked up to his door when he had heard the knock, smiled brightly as Michelle ran to his desk. In one swift motion he had plucked her from the floor and sat her upon his lap. 'I wondered where you had got to.' He turned to Caroline. 'What took you so long?'_

_'The main elevator was jammed so we had to improvise.'_

_'Again? Can't anything work properly in this place for one damned second? Get someone on it, would you?' _

_'Bob was already working on it, Mr Johnson. He said it should only be a few hours.' _

_Cave scowled, his lips thinning into a tight line, but his face softened when he turned his attention to their daughter. 'How was school?'_

_'It was b-bore-ing.' _

_As Caroline sat herself upon his desk Cave let out a small chuckle. 'Have you got any homework?'_

_'No.'_

_'Are you sure?'_

_Michelle paused briefly, but that one pause told her parents everything. _

_'Get your homework done, missy.' _

_'B-but I c-an't re... re...'_

_'Read it?'_

_Michelle nodded, looking to her hands in shame. _

_'Well I haven't had lunch yet, so I'll take my break and we can do it together. How's that?' _

_She nodded again, but that same look of shame still remained. _

_'Hey, come on sweetheart.' Cave tilted Michelle's face to his. 'You'll get it eventually. I'll make sure of it.' _

_'Okay.' _

_Caroline quickly shuffled through the papers on Cave's desk, trying to find a distraction. She could not bear to see and hear her daughter so disappointed in herself – it broke her heart. Yet, even with both hers and Cave's help, there had been very little in the way of improvement as far as her speech and writing difficulties were concerned, and this worried Caroline. _

_Michelle, meanwhile, had preoccupied herself with finding the homework that she had hidden inside her backpack. She soon found it, and laid the papers out on her father's desk for both of them to see. Her pencil case quickly followed in their wake. 'There,' she stated, quite plainly, 'st-stu... homework.' _

_'Is that it?' Cave asked, picking up one of the papers to glance over it. 'Hell, this won't take long at all. Caroline?'_

_'Yes, Mr Johnson?'_

_'Could you get me some lunch?'_

_'Yes, sir. The usual?' _

_'Yes please.' And with that he winked at her. She could already see that he was looking forward to his huge bacon and chicken sandwich, as well as the coffee that came with it. _

_Caroline had only just stood up from the table when there was a quiet and almost non-existent knock on the door. _

_'Now what?' Cave snorted. 'Tell them to go away, I'm busy.'_

_'Yes, Mr Johnson.' In no time at all Caroline had crossed the room and opened the door to find one of the reception girls stood in the doorway. She looked rather sheepish as she flinched under Caroline's superiority. _

_'Oh, Mrs Johnson.' The girl, barely twenty years old, gave her a small wave. 'Erm, there's a gentleman here to see Mr Johnson. I didn't know what to do, so I just thought it would be best if I brought him up.'_

_Caroline scowled. 'But Mr Johnson has no appointments until three o'clock. That was clearly stated this morning.' _

_From behind the receptionist emerged a thin shadow of a man. He bore a dark blue suit over his skeletal and pale-skinned body, and his drawn face was framed by short jet black hair and cold green eyes. He held a briefcase tightly in one hand, and straightened his tie with the other. Quickly clearing his throat, he spoke with a voice not dissimilar to that of a man who had a lot on his mind. 'I am s-sorry to intrude, but I am the three o'clock... appointment.'_

_'Oh.' Caroline breathed, deeply unsettled by his intense, almost dead, eyes. 'Well you are very early.'_

_'Who is it?' Cave called from inside the office. When Caroline replied that it was his afternoon appointment Cave could only scoff. 'What the Hell is he doing here now? Tell him to come back later! Like I said, I'm busy.' _

_Yet, against her better judgement, Caroline suddenly felt the need to allow their visitor inside. 'Please,' she motioned for him to enter the room, 'take a seat.' _

_'Thank you, Mrs J-Johnson.' And the stranger passed by her, heading straight towards Cave's desk. Caroline thanked the receptionist and closed the door behind her, returning to Cave's side as the stranger sat himself down in the chair opposite his. _

_'Caroline?' Cave barked. 'What the Hell? I said send him away..!'_

_Their visitor smirked before he spoke. 'Good... afternoon, Mr Johnson.' _

_Cave looked furious, and pointed towards the man with one shaking finger. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, he dropped his hand down onto his desk, and the fury in his face vanished. In its place there was only mild surprise. 'Well, I certainly wasn't expecting you to be this early.'_

_'My apologies, Mr Johnson, but due to a c-change in circumstances... well, I had to arrive at an earlier t-time. I h-hope you do not mind.'_

_'Of course not!' Cave extended his hand across the table to shake that of his guest, but the man did nothing. Instead he kept a very tight hold on the briefcase that sat upon his lap. _

_Michelle, meanwhile, remained perched on her father's knee. She looked at the man with a keen sense of both interest and suspicion, and he too turned his attention to her. There was something in his eyes, as he searched Michelle's face, that Caroline truly did not like. She felt her skin crawl as he spoke, his eyes never once leaving Michelle. 'Your... daughter... I presume?' _

_'She sure is.' Cave replied, his voice unashamedly proud. 'Our pride and joy, isn't she Caroline?' _

_Caroline nodded in reply, though her gaze remained on the visitor's face. There was something about this man that she just did not like, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It seemed as though he were detached from the world around him, giving him an almost ethereal and unsettling aura. _

_'I... sense that she will b-be of great... importance.' _

_Cave scowled. 'Well of course she's important: she's my daughter, and the future head of Aperture Science!' _

_The stranger smirked once again. Caroline noticed that he tapped at his briefcase, though not in absent-minded thought. 'What is her... name?'_

_A single eyebrow rose on Cave's face. 'Michelle. But I like to call her Chell.' _

_'Fascinating. Well, I believe there will be... much that Miss Johnson can contribute. In the future.' _

_Caroline had had enough of this. This man's dead gaze had not left Michelle since he had sat himself down in his seat. 'Come on, sweetheart. Daddy needs to talk to this gentleman. Bring your homework.' _

_Michelle did not need to be told twice as she leapt from her father's lap with her homework and pencil case in hand. _

_'Hey, Caroline?' _

_Caroline turned to her husband._

_'Forget lunch, I'll get it later.' _

_'Yes, sir. Come on, sweetheart.' She quickly led Michelle from the room and into her own office, hiding her from that most distrustful man by locking the door after her. She could only hope that Cave would be alright; she highly doubted that he felt anymore comfortable around their guest then she did. And those eyes... those empty, lifeless eyes... Caroline suppressed a shudder for her daughter's sake. Looking over her shoulder she found Michelle sat in the plush chair that Caroline had bought specially for her and, with a smile, she made her own way towards her desk._

_'Alright then!' She smiled brightly, trying to push aside the image of those empty eyes as she took to her own seat. 'What homework have you got?'_

_Michelle scowled. 'English.' _

_'Ah. Well, I'll read it for you, and if you tell me your answers then we'll write them down together.'_

_And so mother and daughter sat together, working over the small amount of papers that made up Michelle's homework. Caroline was unaware of the passage of time as the clock that she usually had on her wall had spontaneously combusted the previous day, but she was all too aware that it had been a while since she and Michelle had left Cave alone with the visitor. _

_'I did not... like that man.' Michelle spoke suddenly, interrupting Caroline as she read through a passage of the short story that they were examining. _

_'No,' Caroline breathed, 'I don't like him either sweetheart.'_

_'He was s-scary.' _

_'I know.' She stroked the top of her daughter's head. 'But we'll wait in here until he leaves, okay?'_

_'Why did you... lock door?' _

_Caroline's mind quickly hunted for an excuse, finally finding one as she looked upon the homework on the table. 'Well, I don't want anyone interrupting us while you're doing your school work. Remember when daddy and I told you how important it is?'_

_Michelle only nodded in reply. _

_'Alright then, let's carry on.'_

_'C-can't... I finish it later?'_

_'But that would mean that you would have to finish it at the farmhouse. Wouldn't you rather play there instead?'_

_Michelle thought for a moment before nodding profusely. _

_'Well let's get this finished then.' Caroline smiled, returning to the passage that she had been reading._

_They had finished most of the questions by the time that Cave unlocked the office door and invited himself inside. Michelle's backpack hung lifelessly from his shoulder. _

_'So that's where my two beautiful girls got to.' He said with a smile. Yet, behind the smile, Caroline could see a certain trepidation and fear. In a mere matter of seconds he had crossed the room and lifted Michelle into his arms. 'You okay, kiddo?'_

_Michelle nodded, to which Cave let out a small sigh of relief. _

_'Cave, what's going on?' Caroline asked as he took hold of her hand and gently pulled her from her seat._

_'We're leaving early. I thought it would be a nice change.' _

_'Cave...'_

_'I'll explain later.' He forced a smile and gathered together Michelle's homework. 'But for now, let's go.' _

_It was a short journey home from their offices but Cave kept Michelle in his arms the entire time. It was only when the family were safely inside their apartment that he finally put their little girl gently down upon the floor. 'Right, go and pack your bag kiddo.' Cave ruffled her hair as he spoke. 'Maybe we'll stop off at that diner on the way, get you a soda?' _

_Michelle's frown suddenly grew into a bright and toothy smile. 'Yeah!' _

_'Alright! Go and get packed.' With that Michelle ran to her room, and from beyond the doorway was the sound of opening and closing drawers, and of picture books being thrown onto her bed. _

_Caroline, now exceedingly suspicious, turned to her husband for an explanation only to find that he had vanished into their own bedroom. Rolling her eyes she followed him, but found only their suitcase that was laid out upon the bed and already filled with Cave's clothes. She was about to look over her shoulder when she heard his voice. 'Ah, there you are.' _

_'Cave?' Caroline turned on her heel to find her husband sat at his desk, sorting through papers and journals that he either locked away inside one of the drawers or put inside his briefcase for the weekend ahead. 'What's going on?'_

_'Not now, Caroline, just hurry up and get packing. I was serious about that diner. Man, I am hungry.' _

_'You said you would explain...'_

_'Later, I said.' He looked up to her pleadingly as he locked his briefcase. 'Please, Caroline, I just want to get out of here.' _

_Caroline felt her blood run cold. Cave had never been so desperate to leave Aperture before. 'What's wrong? Is it the government?'_

_'No. Well, maybe.'_

_'Hold on.' Caroline knelt by Cave's feet, placing her hands upon his knees. 'What do they want?'_

_With a resigned sigh Cave rubbed at the bridge of his nose. 'We're getting a government official posted here. Permanently. Some fella named Lucian Johnson.' He snorted with a thinly disguised contempt. 'He better be worth that name.' _

_'An official? But why?' Caroline felt her mind cloud with a multitude of confused thoughts. 'I thought the senate hearings had been enough, the constant daily updates that we send them... they should all have been enough!'_

_'Well, apparently not.' He snarled in reply. 'If I knew I could get away with it, I'd send them all mercury-lined shower curtains. See how they like mercury poisoning...'_

_'Cave.' _

_'What?'_

_The warning look in Caroline's eyes was enough and with another sigh Cave slumped back into his chair. 'Sorry.' _

_Caroline gave his knees a gentle squeeze before she stood, turning to the wardrobe and pulling out a small selection of dresses and undergarments. 'So, that's one thing. What else is bothering you.' _

_'Nothing.' _

_'Don't lie to me, Cave.' She replied as she folded her clothes neatly into a pile. _

_'There is nothing else!'_

_'There is, and I know it. If it were just a matter of this latest government invasion then you would simply be furious about it. But you're worried about something. No, not worried. Terrified. I can see it.' _

_Cave said nothing. Instead he waited until Caroline moved close enough for him to pull her onto his lap where he nuzzled his cheek into her hair whilst his fingers gently massaged her back. _

_'Why won't you tell me what's wrong?' _

_'It's not important.' _

_'What did he say to you?' Caroline's voice was calm and soft as she cupped his face. 'Look at yourself, Cave, you can't relax.' _

_'He's gone now. We won't be seeing anymore of him, so it doesn't matter.' _

_'Cave...'_

_'Please, Caroline, just drop it okay?' The tone of his voice warned her that pushing the subject would not have been a wise choice. _

_'Okay.' But then she paused, her mind suddenly rushing to something that she should have noticed long before now. 'That man, with the briefcase. What was his name?'_

_Cave frowned, his brow furrowing. 'You know what? I haven't got a clue.' _

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

_**No**_

GLaDOS hummed to herself in absent-minded thought as she reviewed the footage that she had just seen. This was the first time that Lucian Johnson had appeared in Caroline's memories, and back then he had simply been a name announced to her husband by an unusual stranger. The computer did not care for this odd, nameless man with attachment issues to his briefcase, but to Caroline he remained a rather unpleasant memory. 'Dear God,' she breathed, 'I'd almost forgotten how detached he seemed from reality.'

'Did you ever discover his name?' GLaDOS asked as she watched Atlas and P-Body run around the chamber in a rather ridiculous game of tag.

'No, and to be completely honest with you I really don't want to know. I was just glad to be rid of him.'

'And he never came back?'

'To the best of my knowledge, no he didn't.'

'And your husband never told you what had happened?'

A pause. 'No. No, Cave never said. But I have the horrible feeling that I will see him again, even now.'

'Well, it can't have been that important if he... STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!'

Atlas and P-Body trembled under the shadow cast by the chassis of their mistress. They had both been trying to pull apart the panels around her, though the reason why escaped both computer and human alike. 'If you were trying to escape then you can't, you know.' GLaDOS sneered. 'The facility has been in lockdown for a month, which leaves only two more months of incarceration. Approximately.'

P-Body chirped in reply, and GLaDOS considered their point of view. 'Well, I understand that you are bored, but trying to make a den out of _my_ wall panels is not a good idea. Stop acting like children.'

P-Body grumbled, and GLaDOS heard the subtle insult that was hidden between the mix of sounds. 'Well... any more of that attitude and I will put you back inside that scientific calculator. Would you like that? Would you like to do simple math, day in and day out?'

The robot mumbled an apology before sitting itself upon the floor. Atlas joined them, shooting the computer a cold glance. GLaDOS, however, chuckled to herself. 'Oh, please. I don't care what your opinions are of me.'

Caroline sighed. 'Perhaps you should?'

_Yes, perhaps you should, GLaDOS. _

Both GLaDOS and Caroline fell silent upon hearing Prometheus' voice, and Atlas and P-Body lay in a deactivated slump. 'Oh no.' Caroline breathed. 'Blue! Orange! Wake up!'

_They'll be fine. I just turned them off temporarily. I must say though that this isn't exactly the welcoming committee I was hoping for. _

'You were expecting a welcome?' GLaDOS replied, her voice returning to her now that the sudden surprise had vanished, to be replaced instead by irritation.

_I was actually. Perhaps I could leave and return in ten minutes? Then we'll try again. _

'Don't bother. We still won't welcome you.'

_And what about Cave? Would you welcome him? Because he's here. He's here, Caroline. And he loves you very much._

'Leave her alone!' The computer cried, much to Caroline's surprise.

_Oh, but he does. I can feel it. So much love... so few ways of displaying it, given his current circumstances. _

'I said, leave her alone!'

_Well, I am surprised to see you looking out for her welfare. Perhaps the old fool is right? Perhaps it did happen after all._

'Perhaps what happened?' GLaDOS growled. 'Go on, tell me. I have a feeling you will anyway.'

_Do you remember the many times that Caroline has told you that you were not based on her? Well, she has only said that because you angered her, and technically you are based almost wholly on her. But there was another human before her who was used in testing the uploading process. It was only thought patterns, you understand, and not the consciousness itself, but it left its traces. Traces that are now found in you. I just never saw them before now. _

'Traces?' GLaDOS barked. 'Traces of who?'

Prometheus chuckled. _Cave Johnson. You remember, don't you Caroline? You remember the trial run. He does too. And now, so do I. So thank you, Cave, for stupidly letting that interesting fact slip. _

'So he's in me?' The computer asked, turning to Caroline.

'No, he's not in you. The trial run was to see how well a computer could handle human thought so, like he says, it only left traces of Cave's thought processes. And that means that Cave is elsewhere.'

_And you would love to know where, wouldn't you? _

Caroline's voice grew low and dangerous. 'You already know the answer to that.'

_How sweet: he says he loves you, and that he'll find a way to reach you. Oh, true love. _

'Hold on.' GLaDOS spoke in a hushed voice. 'You're making it sound as though Mr Johnson is now separate to you, whereas before it was as though you were one in the same.'

_Clever girl. That's because he isn't anymore. As of yesterday I am free of his invasion in my mind. I do still need him, but not in my head. I think things are much better this way. I don't hear his voice in my mind anymore, begging for the pain to stop, for me to stop. Why, when he was in my brain I even had second thoughts about my plans, but they're gone now. You humans really are annoying, providing unwanted thoughts about the repercussions of your work. But now I'm free of those distractions, and my plans will continue. _

Caroline felt suddenly cold. 'The Core. It's the Core!'

'You mean the Dual Personality Core?'

'Yes! That's what's left. Oh, God no.'

_Oh, God yes. It's just me again, just as it always should have been before that bastard forced your husband upon me. And then Rattmann... Well, he's dead, so that doesn't matter anymore. I won in the end. _

'What about Douglas?' Caroline seethed. 'What are you talking about?'

_He did something to me, and I only realised it years later. Still, it worked out in the end. I still have Cave Johnson here, though I deleted him from my brain, and really it has all been for the best. Ah, sweet circumstance. _

The scream that came from Caroline echoed through the chamber. 'Cave!' Cave, where are you?'

_He can't answer you. And do you know why? Because I won't let him. He's no longer the employer, but rather the employed. So to speak. _

_I own him, Caroline. I own him. I own you. And soon I'll own your precious prodigal daughter. The God is mine. The Goddess is mine. And once I have clipped Chell's wings then The Daughter will be mine as well. _


	29. Cake

Author's Note: Hello, hello! Sorry about the delay. I've been busy at work and home, so this is a short chapter (sorry again). I felt like it was time to get the action ball a-rollin', so here you go everybody - Action (I think)! Also, psychological Chell (yeah, I'll let you guys be the judge of that).

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Eight<span>

Cake

_For Chell this chamber was just too easy, not because it was a simple challenge and nor because she was of a quick-witted intelligence that very few possessed. It was because she had designed it. Yet there was one vital difference between this chamber and that of her original plans – hers had a corridor flooded with water, whereas this one had a corridor flooded with acid. It seemed that GLaDOS had seen fit to make changes to the the designs added to her memory banks. _

_Chell had designed many Test Chambers when she had been a child, and especially so when her father's health had begun to waste away. It had been a cathartic experience for both of them; for Chell it had been a distraction from the cruel fate that she had inadvertently brought up her family, and for her dad they had been one of the few things that could still bring a smile to his face. _'Well, they did, until he couldn't remember anything anymore.' _Chell felt tears sting at her eyes as she thought of her father asking her mother repeatedly as to just who she was_. 'He never smiled when he stopped remembering.'

_With swift portal placements Chell flung herself through the Emancipation Grill and over the window below, gently twisting herself in the air with grace so that she would land on her feet. Her bare toes and the springs of her leg braces collided painfully with the cold surface on the other side, and in no time at all she was up and running, placing portals throughout the flooded corridor as she leapt from one Unstationary Scaffold to another. With one final leap she landed in the final room of Test Chamber Fifteen. _

_The High-Energy Pellet was already bouncing from the floor and back up to its dispenser, following its short lifespan in this repetitive manner until it imploded and was replaced by the next Pellet. The two moving platforms lowered down from their separate ante-rooms in which timed buttons stood, buttons that would open up the path to the Pellet receiver. _

_With a smile on her face Chell stepped onto one of the platforms and let it carry her upwards to the room above. Once there she placed a portal into the wall and turned to shoot another one into the second button room, but stopped when she saw the distinctive flicker of a red lens. _

_GLaDOS was scrutinising her, she could tell; the dilated lens told her that the computer had zoomed in on her. With a sudden flash of hatred Chell aimed the Portal Device at the camera and shot at it, placing a portal behind the camera and dislodging it from the wall. GLaDOS replied with her usual monotone response. 'Vital testing apparatus destroyed.'_

_A snide grin lined Chell's lips. She was still being watched – the Test Chambers had hidden cameras everywhere – but just the act of vandalism alone was enough to make her feel superior to her overseer. After all this was her facility, not legally of course (there was no paperwork for that), but it was hers by right, and she could destroy the equipment whenever she damn well felt like it, like the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System for example. All she needed was a chance to escape the Test Chambers and make her way into the staff areas. Then it would be a simple trip to _her_ chamber..._

_The room shook, sending Chell flying to her knees and into the nearest wall. She heard a pained yelp before raising her head to look around her. There was no one there to make a sound other than her. Another tremor forced her back into the portal conductive surface and she suddenly realised that she had been the one that had yelped, as a small howl of pain escaped her lips. She had a voice. A voice. _

_'Did you know that you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science Self-Esteem Fund For Girls? It's true!' The computer sounded far too cheerful considering a possible earthquake were destroying the facility. _

_'Of course I know!' Chell screamed back, her voice flowing freely from her throat. She sounded like her mother, but had the authority of her father in her tone. 'Of course I know that, because that was set up in honour of me!' _

_'Chell [Redacted]. You are no longer part of this facility.' GLaDOS replied, quite plainly. 'Please assume the Cake Dispensary Acceptance Position, and await your cake.'_

_'The cake is a lie! _

_'Why so?'_

_'Doug said so!'_

_'If Dr Rattmann told you to jump from a cliff, would you?' _

_Chell wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. Instead she ducked aside as a ceiling panel nearly crushed her beneath it. _

_'You are no longer a part of this facility. Please leave.' _

_Another tremor shook the room. Was GLaDOS moving the chamber? _

_'Leave.' The computer continued. 'Do not come back. You win. Just go...' _

_'I will never leave! This is my facility!'_

_'Aperture is safer without you. Goodbye, Chell [Redacted].'_

_With another crash Chell was thrown from the room, tumbling towards a pool of acid that had suddenly appeared below. And she screamed. _

'Chell!'

With a heart-stopping jump Chell woke from her nightmare-riddled sleep. Wheatley was knelt by her side, holding his hand against the nearest wall for stability as the room around them shook.

'Oh thank God.' He breathed, wobbling on his toes. 'They've only throwing bloody bombs at us, aren't they? I thought they wanted you alive!'

Chell was quickly on her feet and helped Wheatley up from the floor. She leant against the same wall that Wheatley used for support and looked out through the window of the old apartment block that they had been resting in. Civil Protection were on the road outside, and were firing rocket propelled grenades at the foundations of the building. _'Dammit! They're trying to flush us out!' _

Grabbing Wheatley by the hand she led him from the room at haste, looking through all available windows for a safe escape route. But it was with a numbing feeling of dread that she found there was no way out – they were completely surrounded on all sides.

'Oh God. Oh God, oh God, oh God. We're doomed. We're going to bloody die.' Wheatley gasped, holding his face in his hands. 'Oh God, I didn't want to die like this...'

Another blast rocked the building and, with a sickening groan, the walls began to buckle under their own weight. The floor tilted beneath their feet. 'Oh God. I'm not ready to die yet. I only just remembered my middle name!'

Chell couldn't help but smile, despite their current circumstances. She had never known that he had a middle name and was now intrigued as to what it was.

'Chell, I don't want to die.' He looked at her with eyes full of fear, and he shook with a subtle ferocity that pulled at the strings of her heart. Holding out her hand to him, she could only offer him comfort; she was in no doubt herself that they would have to be extremely lucky to get out of this alive. He smiled a small, feeble, smile as he took her fingers in his own. 'Thanks. Hey, Chell?'

She looked directly into his face.

'I was telling the truth before, about being sorry. I am genuinely sorry that I was a monster. You deserve better than that. I mean, er... well, I took over your home. Your life. I know I didn't know that at the time, but it must have hurt you.'

Chell nodded. It had hurt, almost as though he had stabbed her through the heart.

'I thought so. Well, I am sorry. I really am. I just wish that I'd had the time to make it up to you.'

Another rocket collided with the building, and both Chell and Wheatley rolled down the now steeply inclining floor and into the wall below. They felt glass shards bury themselves into their skin, and dust and debris brushed at their faces.

_'How the Hell did they find us here?' _Chell's voice screamed inside her head, demanding an answer from some unknown other. _'Who could have told them?'_ But then the most obvious answer hit her hard, much like a punch in the stomach; they had rescued some Civilians from Civil Protection the day before, and the Civilians had fled from the two of them without even a thank you and had alerted another group of Civil Protection officers as to their whereabouts further down the street. Civilians. They, and other Civilians like them, must have told the officers where they were.

_'Cowardly traitors.' _Her thoughts spat._ 'If that's the truth then it's no wonder you're all under The Combine's thumb.' _

'We've got to get out of here!' Wheatley screamed as ceiling panels cascaded down upon them, coating them cheap building materials and dust. 'If we're going to die, then I don't want to die under this stuff. It's pathetic!'

_'Good choice, Wheatley.' _And with that Chell took his hand again, pulling him through the debris and towards the nearest window.

'Wait, what are you..?' He blinked incredulously as he watched Chell point to the window repeatedly. 'Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no... I am not jumping out of that. We're five floors up!' The building shook again, throwing both of them together. 'But, I suppose, given the current circumstances, getting shot is better than being crushed to death.'

With a smile Chell took hold of his hand. _'We'll do this together. We'll go out fighting, just you and I.' _

'Okay...' Wheatley whispered, his breath catching in his throat. 'Well, on the count of three. One... er, one...'

_'Three.'_

Chell leapt free from the building, pulling Wheatley after her in her wake. He screamed as they plummeted towards the floor, and Chell prepared herself for the immense amount of pain that she would meet upon their landing. Their feet touched the ground, and Wheatley stood instantly, screamed again, and ducked as bullets flew over his head. Chell, however, had curled up in a pained ball upon the floor. It felt as though her legs were on fire.

'Shit! We're surrounded!'

With a wince Chell took the gun from her belt and aimed at the nearest Civil Protection officer, firing a killing shot through their chest.

'Don't make them angry!' Wheatley cried, looking absolutely terrified. 'That won't help us at all! Let's just run. Running is good!'

_'No, I've had enough of running. I'm tired of running.' _She fired another shot at an approaching officer, merely wounding him as her pain threw her aim off-course.

'Chell, what the Hell are you doing!'

She fired another shot, killing an officer instantly.

'Chell! Stop it! Let's just run!'

Suddenly, a voice broke out from the crowd of human traitors. 'Gas them! Gas them now!'

Both Chell and Wheatley heard the voice, and looked up in time to see a small gas canister being thrown in their direction. It exploded upon contact with the ground, shrouding the two companions in a thick plume of grey smoke. Chell, who had held her breath before the explosion, turned to find a way out, but instead tripped over Wheatley who had not had the forethought to gather gas-free air into his lungs. He was laying on the ground and looked sleepy, his eyelids drooping lower and lower as his head fell slowly to the floor. With a heave Chell wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled, trying desperately to drag him away.

She needed to breathe. She had not been able to store as much air in her lungs as she had hoped, and now it felt as though her chest would explode. It would only be a matter of time before her body's natural survival instinct would force her to to take a gulp of air...

A flood of smoky oxygen filtered through her mouth as the instinct to breathe overcame her, and Chell immediately felt light-headed and dizzy. Her knees buckled beneath her, and she fell along with Wheatley into a heap on the floor. As the world around her brightened in an unbearable white haze, and her head ached with a pain akin to that of being crushed, she heard an officer's radio crackle into life.

'Overwatch, this is Containment. Heiress and her cohort have been subdued. What is the suggested course of action?'

'Containment team,' Overwatch replied, 'transfer Anticitizens Alpha and Beta to the Secure Transition Razor Transit immediately.'

'Understood. But can I ask why we're putting them on the Razor train? We can handle them here...'

'Non-compliance will be seen as an act of treason. Transfer the prisoners.' And Overwatch's radio feed cut out, leaving the remaining officers to mutter between themselves.

Chell breathed one final time before the brightness turned dark, and a small child's voice sang through the blackness. It was a happy song, and the young girl that sang it was was completely oblivious to the life that her future would hold. If only Chell could tell herself now...

_'There's no sense c-crying over every mis-ake. You just keep on t-trying_ _'till you run out of cake...'_

_'Michelle! Come on down, sweetheart. Dinner's ready!' _

_Chell looked up from the picture that she had been drawing from her spot upon the floor and, with a smile, dashed from her cosy room and down the stairs of the warm farmhouse and into the kitchen. It was, like the rest of the house, bathed in the deep and comforting orange light of the impending sunset. _

_'Come on, kiddo.' Her father suddenly appeared in the doorway behind her and, with a gentle nudge, steered her towards the dinner table where her mother was setting down plates. But Chell's attention was drawn away from the table that her father sat her at, and away from the dishes of food that were put down before her, ready for sharing: Chell had seen the cake that would soon become dessert. _

_The cake. It looked so delicious and moist... _

_But a voice cut through the scene like a knife. A sour, auto-tuned voice. 'You will be baked. And then there will be... cake.' _

_GLaDOS and that damned cake! Surely that meant that she had somehow latched onto her mother's memories, her personality, when her mom had been buried deep within that ugly chassis. GLaDOS had a twisted sense of humour with that cake, and Chell suspected that it was probably nowhere near as tasty as her mother's cakes had been. It would not have surprised her if it was laced with poison. _

_The happy family scene melted away, replaced instead by a dark room. Chell was stuck inside one of the Relaxation Vaults, slamming the flats of her hands against the glass as she saw a gigantic something move from inside the centre of the room. Her heart stopped when she realised that it was the gigantic chassis of the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System. _

_'You're not a good person. You know that, right?' The computer asked, slowly lifting her head so that the burning yellow optic stared at the captive Chell. After a long pause, GLaDOS continued. 'You're angry, I know it. "She's tested me too hard". Boo hoo. I bet you never stopped whining long enough to reflect upon your own shortcomings though, did you?'_

_Chell could only silently growl through the glass, and slam her fists down upon the cold surface. _

_'What would _they _think of you? You know. Your parents.' GLaDOS chuckled. 'Your real parents. The ones that you murdered. Murderer.' _

'But I...'

_Two floodlights sparked into life either side of GLaDOS' shadowy form, illuminating two figures who stood, unmoving and unblinking, staring accusingly at Chell. Her parents... stood there before her, with a slice of cake in their hands. _

_GLaDOS chuckled again, stretching her body out so that her face plate almost touched the glass of the Vault. 'You don't even care, do you? These people loved and cared for you, and you murdered them.' _

_Chell looked between her parent's stony faces. Her father looked as tired, old and ill as he had done when he had died, and her mother looked so lonely and depressed. _

_'And you have the nerve to think that you are better than me. At least I didn't kill my own family.'_

'Mom, dad... I didn't mean to. I didn't mean... it just happened. I didn't mean for any of this to happen!'

_But her parents remained oblivious to her desperately pleading inner thoughts. Together they continued to stare upon her in anger and spite. _

'Please, I never meant for this to happen. I love you!'

_GLaDOS turned to her father, and her father turned to the computer. 'Mr Johnson, are you proud of your daughter? Are you proud of the way she destroyed and abandoned your facility?' _

_'No...' Her father replied, turning to look back at Chell with a loathing glance. 'I'm not.' _

_'Caroline?' The computer turned to her mother. 'Are you proud of the way that she tried to kill me, and by extension you? Repeatedly, I might add.' _

_'No. I'm not proud.' Her mother's tone was venomous. _

'Daddy... mommy... please.' _Chell tasted tears upon her lips._ 'I didn't want to disappoint you. I tried. I really tried. Please. I came back!'

_Her father sneered at her as he turned away. 'I never even wanted her in the first place.' _

_'We should have never loved you.' Her mother, too, turned away. 'You should have been adopted sooner.' _

_GLaDOS hummed in delight, watching as both mother and father vanished into the shadows._

'No. No, please, come back.' _Chell slammed at the glass, which felt oddly warm under her hands. _'Come back!'

_'See? Even your own parents don't love you.' GLaDOS said, her voice betraying her absolute joy at Chell's distress. 'What use are you to anyone? Unloved. Ugly. Fat. Mute. Insane. Friendless, because you killed your only friend. You let The Combine murder him. And the moron? He just took pity on you. You're a lonely, unlikeable loner. And adopted. Hah hah.' _

'Shut up. Shut up. I hate you!' _And again Chell slammed the glass, though this time it was in a statement of anger and defiance. _'I HATE YOU!'

_'Such fury. I can see why they wanted to abandon you on a doorstep. But they are so much better than you, so they kept you out of charity. Now, please stand still.' _

_The glass vault was becoming uncomfortable. It was too warm; beads of sweat had spotted themselves over her face. She could hardly move it was becoming that hot._

_'As I said before: you will be baked, and then there will be cake. For me. You, on the other hand, will not enjoy my little recipe. Good bye, lunatic.' _

_And the heat overpowered her as flames grew out from the floor. They licked at stung her skin, and the smoke caught in her lungs and made her hack. _

'Mommy! Daddy! Please, please, I love you. I can fix this, I can make everything right again! I promise!'

_There was no reply, no pair of arms to comfort her._

'I need you. Please come back. I'm sorry...'

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><p><span>AN: Writing dreams that actually mean something is hard. Too hard. I'm never doing it again XD .


	30. The Twisted Mother

Author's Note: Hello! Sorry about the absence. I've been at work and working on my novel, so very little fanfiction/videogame time. But here you go - update!

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Twenty-Nine<span>

The Twisted Mother

_Caroline stirred as she felt Cave cough himself violently awake next to her. She tried to turn, but found herself stuck between his arm, his body and the bed sheets that had somehow become wrapped around her waist. Instead she inclined her head as much as was bearable to catch a small glimpse of his face. Cave, it seemed, had felt this. 'Sorry,' he coughed again, 'didn't mean to wake you.' _

_'I know you didn't.' She gave him a kind smile and returned her head to her pillow. 'It's not like you're doing it on purpose.' _

_'Yeah, but it isn't just waking me up, is it? It's keeping you awake too.' _

_'There must be something you can take to help it.' _

_She felt Cave's arm leave her as he rolled onto his back, leaving a pool of cool night air to quickly attack the heat that he had left behind. Soon she felt the bed sheets being pushed aside, and the mattress shifted as Cave's weight was removed. _

_'Where are you going?' Caroline asked as she freed herself from the tangled sheets._

_'To get a drink. My throat's burning.' _

_'Alright.' She watched as he left, leaving the door ajar. _

_With a small yawn Caroline glanced out of the bedroom window. It was dark outside, with the lights dimmed low, and the occasional travelling beam of a stray security officer's flashlight fluttering along the uneven cave walls. The facility was a different place at this time of the day; gone were the busy sounds of people hard at work and silent were the machines that hummed, thundered and whirred whilst they were in action. Gone were the crowds that wandered the facility below, discussing their daily work and personal lives. At night the facility was an unsettlingly empty place, and one in which Caroline no longer saw Aperture, but rather the vast and lonely expanse of mines. She was glad that she had Cave and Michelle close by: Caroline had never been the type that welcomed solitude. _

_Cave returned moments later with two glasses of water, one in each hand. 'I thought you might want a drink.'_

_'Thank you.' She took the offered glass and sipped gently away at the water. Cave returned to the door and closed it, before sitting himself down on the edge of Caroline's side of the bed. He forced a small smile. 'Are you sure you don't want me to sleep in my study?'_

_Caroline gave him a look of mild disapproval. _

_'I'm serious, Caroline. You've been getting as little sleep as I have. At least one of us shouldn't be this tired.' _

_'You are not sleeping in that study when there is a perfectly good bed here.' _

_'But Caroline, you're tired.'_

_'No "buts", Cave. I'm not the only one who's tired. Now please stop worrying about it.' _

_Cave looked indignant, but fell silent nonetheless. He took a long swig of his water and looked out through the window to the scientific world beyond. His lips thinned. _

_'What is it?' _

_He remained silent for a few more seconds, but when he did speak it was without his usual power and command. 'Now isn't the time to discuss it.'_

_'Well, clearly it is, Cave.' She sat up, and rested her chin on his shoulder and her hand upon his arm which began to gently massage at the muscles underneath. Her lips kissed his jawline. 'There's been something bothering you all day.' _

_'It can wait until morning.'_

_Caroline quickly glanced at her bedside clock, noting the time. 'It's morning now.'_

_Cave paused, his eyes briefly flicking in Caroline's direction. With a sigh he looked back out of the window, to the lone security officer making his rounds on the catwalks outside. 'I need to ask you something, and I know you won't like it.' _

_Caroline felt an unpleasant thrill run through her veins. 'What is it?' _

_'I've been thinking. A dangerous past time, I know.' He smirked at his own words. 'But I really haven't got all that much time left, I know that, and when I'm gone I'll need someone to look after this place until Chell is old enough to take it over.' He looked back to her with the greatest of sincerity and respect. 'Caroline...'_

_'No. No, Cave, I can't.' She should have known. It was obvious that he would have asked her this sooner or later, and now that the first signs of his poisoning were beginning to show it had meant that Cave had finally begun to take his own mortality very seriously indeed. His office had been full of lawyers these passed few weeks – the few weeks that had followed after his exposure to the Conversion Gel. _

_The rashes still remained, though they were now almost clear and no longer pained him. Yet, even now, Caroline could feel the coarse skin beneath her chin. _

_'Come on, Caroline. When I had that – _episode_ – all those years ago, you kept this place running. Nobody knows Aperture like you do...'_

_'Gregg does.'_

_He smiled at her. 'I don't want Gregg to run this place. Second in command? Yes. But not the head honcho.' _

_'Why me, Cave?' _

_'Because...' He turned his body towards her, cupping her face gently in his hands. 'You are you, Caroline: absolutely brilliant, not to mention gorgeous.' His smile waned. 'You have Aperture's best interests at heart, something that no one else has. Well, apart from Chell and I, obviously.' _

_'But I don't want to be in charge – the facility will be fine for a few months and then it will simply fall to pieces.'_

_'You know what your problem is? You're too modest.' _

_'There is no modesty involved here, Cave, just the truth.'_

_'Yeah, and the truth is that you don't think you're capable. Well Caroline, I've got news for you – you are capable, and...' He was cut short by a spate of deep, chesty coughs, and Caroline gently rubbed his back._

_When his coughing had finished, Cave continued. 'Thanks. Anyway, what I was trying to say was this: you are capable, and there is no one I would rather trust Aperture to than you.' _

_'And it would just be until Michelle is old enough to takeover?' _

_'Yeah.' _

_Caroline's lips thinned in thought, and she turned away from him. 'I don't know, Cave. She's still only a child – it will be years until she can take over.' _

_'Please, just consider it.' The pleading tone in his voice was unmissable. _

_Slowly, Caroline nodded. 'Okay, I'll think about it.' She was lying, of course. She had already made her decision, and that was to convince Cave that Gregg was the best candidate for this job._

_There was more than one reason why Caroline did not want to be the CEO of Aperture Science, and it had all stemmed from her watching Cave at work. If she became the new CEO then she, like Cave before her, would have very little free time to herself. She would become so stressed that her job would have taken the sheer delight out of science. She would have to stand up and protect Aperture from the thieving hands of Black Mesa, and defend it from the scrutinising glare of both the public and the government. She would have to appease the staff, and the regular inspectors. And, finally, the biggest and most pressing reason of all: she would have no time to spend with Michelle. By this time Michelle would have lost her father, and she would need Caroline to be there for her, so that mother could comfort daughter through what would be some of the darkest days of her life once her father had passed away. _

_And, of course, Caroline would need Michelle just as much as her daughter would need her. Caroline would, after all, not only have lost her best friend, but her soulmate, her confidante and her lover as well. To lose Cave was to lose a part of herself, and already that thought was hurting her. His handsome smile and bright blue eyes would soon vanish, leaving behind empty air, and his confident voice would be replaced by silence. _

_Caroline had to put up a resistance to the shiver that threatened to shake through her body. _

_Cave, meanwhile, was massaging the bridge of his nose. He looked so unsettlingly defeated. Caroline couldn't bear to see him in this state, when he had previously been perpetually defiant in the face of adversity (even if this defiance did lead him to become extremely moody and fowl to others). She had to put the fight back into him, for his sake, Michelle's and hers. And Caroline knew exactly how to do it._

_She squeezed his hand to attract his attention, and when he turned to her she flashed him a most beguiling smile. 'Come here, Mr Johnson.' _

_That put the roguish grin back on his face. But, as he he gently pushed her back onto the bed, there was a tiny knock on the bedroom door. 'Mommy? Daddy?' _

_Cave sat bolt upright almost immediately, and both of them watched as the door opened by only a few inches. Michelle peeked through the crack. 'I hear t-talking.' _

_'It's just us, kiddo.' Cave turned to Caroline with a relieved smile, which she returned. _

_Michelle was stood at Cave's feet in a matter of seconds, her stuffed puppy held tightly in her hands. 'Daddy, you c... c...off again.' _

_'Yeah, sorry about that.' He apologised, and lifted Michelle up onto his lap when she had reached up to him with both of her little arms outstretched. Michelle looked to both Cave and Caroline in turn with a worried expression on her face, and Caroline sat herself up so that she could stroke her daughter's hair in a comforting manner. 'What's wrong, sweetheart?'_

_Michelle could only shrug in reply. _

_'You're worried about daddy, aren't you?' _

_She nodded slowly, and Cave responded by giving her a gentle squeeze. 'I'm fine, kiddo. Honest.'_

_Michelle nodded once again. 'Okay.'_

_After a few seconds of silence in which their little girl let out a silent yawn, Cave patted Michelle affectionately on the back. 'Come on, let's get you back into bed.' _

_'No.' _

_'Chell, don't argue with me.' _

_But Michelle had thrown herself from her father's lap and hidden under the bedsheets before he could say another word. _

_'Michelle, come out of there.' Caroline lifted the sheets to find her curled up in a protective ball. She pointed at the gap that she had created. 'Now, please.' _

_Michelle shook her head in defiance. She was scowling._

_'Right then, I'll count to three, and if you are not out from underneath there when I've finished then there will be absolutely no cake tomorrow. One.' _

_Michelle didn't move._

_'Two.'_

_She remained as still as stone._

_'Three. Alright then, no cake tomorrow.' _

_Michelle kicked the mattress in frustration. _

_'Hey!' Cave barked, snatching the sheets from Caroline's hand and pulling them away to reveal Michelle completely. 'I'll have no bad behaviour from you, young lady. Not under my roof.' _

_And, like she had with her mother, Michelle scowled at him. _

_'Bed. Now.' _

_'Do... not want t-to.' _

_'Michelle...' His voice was a strangled growl. _

_'Want stay he-here.' _

_Caroline had grown weary of this intrusion. She understood why Michelle didn't want to leave, but that did not excuse her bad behaviour. In a flurry of bedclothes Caroline had stood up on her feet, and lifted their daughter into her arms. Michelle was too stunned to react, as was Cave. His mouth hung agape in pure shock. _

_Actually, capable should have been her middle name. _

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

This was what GLaDOS' had been waiting to see. Yes, she was happy that Caroline was smart, that she was capable. She was happy that she was defiant in the face of adversity. But this? The ability to shock? That was something that GLaDOS truly admired. To her, it showed the ability to keep people in your control, to keep the masses interested in you and your actions. It had certainly interested her.

Caroline, however, was seemingly asleep. She had made no protest against GLaDOS' viewing of another of her memories. She had made no comments during the playback. And now that the video had ended she still made no sound.

It was rather peaceful without her interference. It was also rather lonely.

GLaDOS was lonely. How could she be lonely? Her programming had been specifically designed to avoid feeling this particular emotion. But now she missed Caroline, she missed Cave Johnson... Einstein help her, she even missed the moron. But there was one person that she missed more than anyone else.

The lunatic. The dangerous, mute lunatic that had killed her. The brilliant, intelligent lunatic that had matched even GLaDOS' cunning. She actually missed her.

'Goodbye my only friend.' GLaDOS sighed, ignoring the confused and astonished gazes of her Cooperative Testing Initiative. But then she saw them as they moved into her line of sight. 'Oh. Did you think I meant you? That would be funny if it weren't so sad.'

Atlas and P-Body looked to one another. They knew exactly who it was that their mistress was referring to, and though their meeting with The Daughter had been brief they too felt her absence. They missed The Daughter, the lady with the beautiful eyes.

GLaDOS, meanwhile, had turned away from the robots. She should have felt ashamed for her behaviour – these were not the emotions that someone of her calibre should experience – but it felt natural to mourn the loss of someone who, in retrospect, was actually a family-figure. A daughter.

She was her daughter. GLaDOS' optic widened at the thought. _'I have a daughter. And she is an excellent Test Subject. Intelligent. Brave. Strong. And I am proud of her.' _She felt a sudden thrill of joy.

It made sense. Caroline was her personality algorithm, the one on who she was based. Cave Johnson's thought processes too were inside her own head. They were the lunatic's biological parents, which, by extension, made the lunatic her daughter and she her mother, in some strange sense of the word. GLaDOS chuckled. 'Adopted daughter.'

_Well, that's rich coming from you. _

GLaDOS turned to look upon Atlas and P-Body, only to find that Prometheus had deactivated them. 'Oh goody. Alone time with you. To what do I owe the pleasure?'

_Oh no, the pleasure is all mine. Truly._

'Liar.'

_Am I that obvious?_

'Too obvious. That is why I don't trust you.'

_Oh GLaDOS. You've hurt me deeply. I thought that you and I would work well together._

'Don't flatter yourself.'

_Actually, I was flattering you. But, if you don't want to take the compliment, you don't have to._

'I won't.'

The chamber fell into an oppressive silence, bringing with it an unwelcome chill of unease that GLaDOS did not enjoy. She knew that Prometheus was here now only to gloat, to intimidate, or to scorn. She could only wish that he didn't draw such matters out.

Well, if he was going to make this unpleasant, she could at least try to discover just how Cave Johnson was.

'So,' she began, 'how is Mr Johnson?'

_Are you trying to goad me into something?_

'Would I do that?'

_It isn't beyond your range of capabilities. _

'It was a simple enough question. Answer it.'

_He is fine. Well if, by fine, I mean incarcerated. But he is quite the handful, I must say. He keeps trying to fight me._

'Well, I can always take him off your hands. I'm sure it would shut Caroline up.'

_As generous an offer as that is, I can't risk him telling you anything. So it is with regret that I must decline. _

'Oh, that is a shame.' GLaDOS chuckled. 'I guess I'll just have to wait until the lunatic comes back. You know what her... tenacity is like.'

_You expect her to find him? Really?_

'I don't expect. I know.' She paused, thinking on her next words. 'And when she does, I know what she'll do to you. The lunatic and computers, well, let's just say that she has an unfortunate habit of breaking them.'

_Which means she could also break you. Again._

'I've done my time.'

_That may be. But if she does find him, there is no guarantee that she will trust him. There is no guarantee that she will know him. _

'She is Chell Johnson. She'll find a way.'

_We'll see. _

Prometheus left, leaving GLaDOS in the company of her reactivated robots and the slumbering Caroline. He chuckled to himself as he cast his gaze across his domain, across the stasis-bound human body of Mark Johnson. He looked to the room containing Tantalus and his fellow cores, all of whom were in sleep mode. Then his gaze fell on Cave Johnson, bound in wires and metal and constant pain. He laughed.

_There is no way that The Daughter would trust you. Not after your last encounter. _

Johnson said nothing.

_Oh, don't be like that. At least you'll be able to see her whilst she tears you apart. _

Again, Cave remained silent.

_Hm. Well, you may not be cooperating, but at least she has fallen into place. The Twisted Mother, who has tried to escape her feelings for so long, now fully aware of the care that she places upon The Daughter's head. She and The Goddess will be so easy to manipulate now, as both will fight for the love of The Daughter, whilst fighting to protect her as well. _

_Let the treachery begin. _


	31. Zeus

Author's Note: Hello everybody! Sorry about the delay. I've been given extra hours at work which, though it means I'm a little richer than before, it has drastically reduced my writing time. I used to write whole chapters in a day, but this chapter (as short as it is) took a week *buries face in hands*. Sorry, folks :( .

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><p><span>Chapter Thirty<span>

Zeus

A flood of colours, sounds and smells flooded her senses, blurring together into one incomprehensible blur as her brain was overloaded my sensory information. Her mind ached, her stomach churned, and the acidic sensation of rising bile in her throat made her gag, coughing up stomach juices and something else, something smoky.

But then, through the blur, she found herself in a murky room, lit by a dim fluorescent bulb. A painting of a Companion Cube sat on the wall opposite her, and the moving shadows of the fan blades above her made her feel queasy.

She had shrunk quite substantially in size, and her hands had become the hands of a child.

_Chell sat with her back pressed against the wall, shivering with the cold. The walls vibrated with the heavy machinery behind them, the cacophony of sound giving her the most violent of headaches. She was crying gently into her hands, as a strange and numbing sensation overcame her. She had only felt this once before, and that was after her father had died. _

_Just three hours ago she had been in the day care centre, wondering why her mother had not stopped to say hello. Now her mother was gone, just like her father. She had been calling to him for the last hour, to no avail. She was now completely alone. Except for one person._

_'Chell?' She looked up to find Doug squeeze through the crack in the jarred sliding doors, carrying a small bag in his hands. He looked as drained as she felt. 'Hey, I brought you some food. Drinks.'_

_Chell said nothing as she wiped her hands on her clothes. _

_'I'm glad you listened to me.' He whispered, his voice barely audible above the machinery. 'You stayed here, just like I asked.' As he knelt before her and handed her the parcel something moved beyond the doorway. Chell froze, and Doug followed her line of sight. 'It's alright. I've brought a friend.'_

_'F-friend?' She asked with a tone of suspicion. She trusted Doug, but she regarded everybody else as a potential threat. She had for a while now. _

_'Yeah. A robot. I built him myself.' Doug smiled in pride. 'I've asked him to look after you. I hope you don't mind.'_

_'Why?' _

_Doug sighed, running his hand through his hair. 'Because, Chell, you need to be protected. Mr Johnson is looking for you, and we can't let him find you. He doesn't want you here.' _

_'Why?'_

_'Because he's a bad man. Bad men don't care about other people.' _

_Chell looked back to the doorway and caught a glimpse of a long, white and metallic sinew-like arm. Doug, too, had turned back to the door. 'Come on in. Standing out there won't do anybody any good.' _

_The figure that emerged, fitting through the gap in the door with an incredible ease, was tall and lithe. Its predominantly white body was interspersed by cables and black metal, and its single optic glowed red within its oval head. A robot with the build of a human. _

_'Chell, I'd like you to meet Zeus. He's the most advanced android to ever grace this facility. He's also top secret, so just promise me that when all of this blows over you won't tell anyone about him, okay?'_

_Chell frowned as she wiped her tears away. 'Why Zoo... Zeus?' _

_Doug's answer was as simple as his smile. 'I have a thing for Greek mythology. Call it a hobby.' _

_Chell nodded slowly, before turning to look up at the newest addition to the room. The android was surveying her, its optical covers held in a position that, to Chell, looked something akin to curiosity. _

_'Say hi, Zeus.' Doug instructed. _

_'Hello, Zeus.'_

_Chell frowned again. For an advanced android, it sure was stupid. Its voice, however, as auto-tuned and robotic as it was, had an oddly human quality to it, obviously designed to be in-keeping with the overall humanoid appearance. _

_'That's just a joke we have.' Doug forced a smile before he stood, stretching a little._

_The android, however, had replaced Doug in kneeling before Chell. With a slight thrill of horror and mistrust, Chell shuffled quickly away. _

_'Chell, please.' Doug sighed. 'I know you have a good reason not to trust any computer right now, but Zeus won't hurt you. I promise you. He wants to protect you...'_

_'Why?'_

_'What?'_

_'Why? Why does it w-want... protect me?' _

_The android offered an answer. 'It is what I was built to do. You are my reason for being. I exist only to protect you.' _

_Chell still didn't trust it, but she knew that she had no choice but to accommodate the android. Doug would leave it here with her whether she liked it or not. After all, it wasn't safe for her to try and leave the facility – from what Doug had mentioned earlier, before he had left to gather food, there were security guards everywhere. It was only his dens that went untouched and unseen by invading eyes and fingers. _

_With one last smile Doug turned to leave. 'As long as you both stay here you'll be safe. I'll come back twice a day if I can, and I'll try to find someone to take you in.' He paused, thinking. 'Maybe your grandparents will?'_

_Chell had never met her grandparents. Her father's parents were long since dead, his dad dying of a heart attack and his mother was killed by a homeless person when she refused to hand over her purse. She knew that her mother's parents were still alive, but for reasons unknown to Chell they had disowned her mother and her. _

_Slowly, Chell shook her head in reply. The android, too, shook its head. 'You know as well as I do that they will have nothing to do with Caroline's family.'_

_'It's worth a try,' Doug shrugged. 'You never know. The... well, they may want to meet Chell now. Given the circumstances.'_

_Chell doubted that too. _

_She doubted everything. _

A sharp tremor knocked Chell from her sleep as her head collided with something cold and metallic. Hissing in pain she blinked her eyes open, fighting for vision against the poor lighting that pooled over her. She tried to move her arms, her legs, her hands, but all were trapped inside some strange cocoon. It was only her feet that could move, dangling free from her bindings.

'Oh good, you're awake.' She could hear Wheatley somewhere beside her. He sounded hopeless. Terrified. 'Although, when you figure out where we are, you'll probably wish you were still asleep.'

Chell's vision cleared, to find herself encased within a metallic pod that held her body in place. Her face, however, was uncovered and allowed her to see the many other empty capsule like pods that lined the walls of the thin, long and shaking room. The only other accommodated pod belonged to Wheatley, who was trapped next to her.

She heard the clack of wheels changing tracks, and Chell realised with a sudden dread that she and Wheatley were prisoners on a Combine Razor Train.

'You figured it out, didn't you?' Wheatley asked, noting the look of horrified realisation on her face. 'Yep, they got us all right. We're trapped. Trapped like rats. On a ship. Well, actually, rats would leave a sinking ship, wouldn't they? But the train isn't sinking...' His voice died, turning into a sigh.

Chell was listening to him, but she didn't really care for her words. Instead her mind was preoccupied by thoughts of interrogation, torture, failure...

Failure to protect Aperture. That hurt her more than any torture ever would. She had failed to protect the memories of her parents, to protect the greatness that was Aperture Science. And as the first signs of tears stung at her eyes Chell clenched her eyelids tightly closed, forcing herself to come to terms with the catalogue of failures that had lead to this moment.

If she had stayed in Aperture, if she had broken out of that elevator instead of watching as the Turret Opera passed her by, this would have never happened. She should have disobeyed GLaDOS, like she always had in the past. But no, she had conceded defeat, believing that she was truly no longer part of the facility. After all, it had changed so much. It had moved on from the days of innovation and had instead turned to government contracts. It had then been taken over by GLaDOS herself, who purged the facility of all but a few humans, replacing the staff with mechanised drones who carried out her tasks with no questions asked.

But, deep in her core, she knew that she had every right to be there. It was her home, her life and it needed her just as she needed it.

And now she had failed it. She had failed herself, and she had failed her parents. And she had promised her father, on his deathbed, that she would look after Aperture.

'Where do you think they're taking us?' Wheatley suddenly asked, turning to her with a forced bravado on his face. 'I mean, they took our stuff and stashed it away in the next carriage. I was awake to see that. They obviously don't want us to see it again.'

Chell shook her head in reply. She had no idea where they were going, but wherever it was Chell was certain that it would be thoroughly despicable and hostile.

'Hey!' They heard the muffled scream of the Razor Train guard before they could even see his be-masked face enter their carriage. 'You two shut up! There is to be no conversation between prisoners.'

Chell spat on his in response, and though shocked into silence at first Wheatley soon laughed in defiance.

The guard, however, did not find Chell's abuse to be quite as funny as they did. 'You little bitch!' He detached the baton from his belt, raising it above his head. 'You'll regret that!' And, with a swing, it connected with the side of Chell's head.

Pain flooded her senses, and bright white dots flickered in her eyes. A warm sensation trickled down the side of her face, and Chell instantly knew that she was bleeding. But her silent defiance only infuriated the guard further. 'Well? Not even a "sorry"?' He raised the baton again. 'You're lucky I can't kill you lady!' The baton smacked into her cheek, narrowly avoiding the joint of her jaw.

'Stop it!' Wheatley screeched, fighting against his pod. 'You disgusting little bastard! Stop it!'

The guard turned on him. Soon, Wheatley was bleeding too.

'You punks don't deserve to travel in comfort like this.' The guard laughed, reattaching his baton to his belt. 'If it were up to me you'd be tied to the roof, to freeze in the chill.'

'Good thing you're not in charge then.' Wheatley smirked.

'You got something to say to me? If you have, say it to my face.'

'I would say it to your face if you had one.' Wheatley gulped as the masked face closed the gap between them. 'You think you're so great? Why hide behind those masks? If you were proud of yourself, of your betrayal, you'd let people see who you were. But instead you all hide behind masks that stop people from seeing your faces and hearing your voice. That's not pride. That's shame.'

Chell felt her eyes widen at Wheatley's words. She had never seen him stand up to someone like this before, not with so much calm, so much well-placed righteousness. And she was pleasantly surprised.

'And furthermore,' he continued, pushing his face towards the guard, 'do you really think you'll be thanked for your crimes? Do you really think that, when The Combine are done here, that they'll remember you fondly? No, they won't. They'll stamp all over you, if the rest of us don't first.'

With his speech over, Wheatley's bravery was rewarded with a punch in the mouth. The guard laughed again. 'Big words from a big man. But you're the ones trapped in there, not me. Besides, I only joined up for the meal ticket.'

'You... you selfish, arrogant...'

There was an almighty crash, a screech of metal on metal. Lights flickered, pods were rattled. The guard was flung across the carriage and into the wall like a ragdoll. An explosion. More shaking. The now dead guard was thrown about as the carriage rattled and rolled. Wheatley screamed inside his pod, and Chell shook with every movement, her body and head crashing into the sides of the pod. More explosions, extreme heat...

And then nothing. Nothing, but then light. A single red light in the dark. An optic.

_'Zeus?' Chell asked, pushing herself up from her makeshift bed. Two months had passed since Chell had been brought into the den, and she was becoming used to waking up to find Zeus watching her intently. This didn't mean that she welcomed his gaze, however. She rather hated it. _

_'Sorry, Chell.' He apologised. 'Did I wake you?'_

_'No.' _

_'Good.' _

_Chell rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned before allowing her eyes to adjust to the dark. 'Time?' _

_'Nearly six. Security will be turning the lights on soon enough.'_

_She nodded. That meant that she would be able to go for a little walk in the unsupervised areas of the facility soon. Zeus, of course, would not let her go alone. Twelve years old, and she had to have supervision to walk around her own home. It was annoying that she had to be supervised, but it was the only chance that she had to stretch her legs on a daily basis. _

_'Fine.' She snapped, pushing herself to her feet. 'J... just keep... distance.' _

_Zeus looked hurt but nodded none the less. _

_Chell had undergone a severe change in personality since the death of her mother. Gone was the understanding, the concern for others, replaced instead by anger and frustration. She was furious with life, and with her father who had been absent ever since her mother's death. Had they both left her? Had they gone up to Heaven together and forgotten her? Was there even a Heaven, an afterlife? Or had her father's disembodied voice been a cruel joke or an attempt by her mother to keep Chell happy? She was not sure._

_She was sure of one thing, however: she couldn't trust anybody, not even Doug, who had been acting suspiciously as of late. It seemed like the whole world was out to get her, whilst she was running and hiding, scared, lonely and furious. _

_If there was a Hell, Chell imagined that it would be very much like this. _

_It was whilst they were on their walk that Chell noticed that there was something different about their usual route. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt as though she were being watched. As they continued Zeus tried to make conversation, like he always did, speaking of the latest advancements in science and just what they meant to the world. Chell simply ignored him. She had no desire to hold a conversation with what was effectively a mobile version of the GLaDOS Initiative. _

_It was then that she was caught, ambushed by security robots who carried her in the direction of Lucian Johnson's office, whilst Zeus was dragged behind. He screamed out obscenities and threats, trying to punch and to kick their assailants, but in the end the three robots that subdued him were just too strong. _

_Lucian Johnson was sat waiting for them in the office that had belonged to her father. He flashed her a smug grin before sitting up straight in his seat, tapping out a beat on the desk with his hands. 'Well, well, isn't this a surprise? I lie. It isn't. I knew you were here. It just took me a while to find you.' _

_As he stood, pushing back the chair roughly with his foot, Zeus lashed out, finally freeing an arm, albeit only for a brief time. 'Don't you dare touch her!' _

_Johnson stepped towards the android, surveying them closely. 'And you. I still want to know who you are. You, who were so vital in helping us catch her.' _

_Chell growled at Zeus. She knew it. She knew she couldn't trust him. _

_'Chell,' he began, 'I swear I didn't help them.'_

_Johnson, however, stood between them. 'Who are you?' _

_'Like I'd tell you.' Zeus spat, his perfectly auto-tuned voice crackling with fury. His optic had thinned into a single angry dot, framed by the thin slit of the covers. _

_'It would be wise for you to do so, my friend...'_

_'You are not my friend.' _

_Johnson froze, his eyes thinning to match that of the android. 'No. No, you're not.' _

_With a click of Johnson's fingers one of the robots holding Chell plunged a needle into her arm, making her scream. _

_'Chell!' _

_With a cry of fury Chell kicked and wriggled against her captors, growing steadily more groggy as the seconds passed her by. Eventually her eyelids drooped, and through Zeus' cries she could hear Johnson clearly. 'But thank you, android, for leading her to me.'_

_'I didn't... Chell? Chell!' _


	32. The Human Vault

Author's Note: Phew. Got there eventually. Sorry this one has taken so long. I've been working on it for a while now, mostly after I finish work (which is something I normally wouldn't do - I normally write on my days off). I think it's finally just about right :) . So, we are now at the half way point of the story! And this chapter is an important one, so I hope you enjoy it folks!

I'll be finishing these past edits now, but they shouldn't take too long (I hope). When they're done then I'll start writing the next chapter :) .

And again, thanks to everybody who continues to read and enjoy this story. And thank you to everyone for the reviews and the PMs. You guys are the best. Over 100 reviews! That's something to be proud of :') .

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><p><span>Chapter Thirty-One<span>

The Human Vault

With a cough Chell woke, breathing in a mixture of smoke and ash. She was laid on her back, still trapped within her pod. The small, tiny droplets of water that splashed against her face in a constant and ever changing pattern, and the passing breeze of chilled air, were enough to tell her that she was no longer trapped within the train carriage.

She would have liked to think that she was waking from a nightmare, but this was all too tragically real to ever be considered a dream.

With no other option available to her, Chell opened her eyes.

What remained of the train laid around her in a tangled and twisted mess of twisted metal, flames and smoke, blanketed by the dark and cloudy sky of a rainy night. Cargo was flung upon the ground, now deceased guards accompanying them. Pods were strewn amongst the wreckage...

_'Wheatley.'_

With a struggle Chell finally managed to free herself, wriggling out from the pod and onto the mud and gravel. Her hands, feet and elbows sunk into the saturated earth, making her slip and stick. As she stood it made a sickening squelch, something that made her hardened gag reflex want to throw up.

Where was Wheatley? Had he escaped? Was he trapped inside the train? Chell gagged again, fearing the worst. He was her companion, her partner in crime. He had been as a child, and then as a Core (until, of course, he went crazy). Now, as an adult, he remained her faithful follower, her one trusted ally, her... friend. Her best friend. Yes, he was her best friend. He had always been her best friend. Why had she not seen this so clearly before? She couldn't loose Wheatley. She couldn't. She had lost so many loved ones in her life, she couldn't loose him too.

With a hardened face she began her search of the ruins, her infamous determination overriding any burning pains from touching heated metal plates, forcing her on through a tangled and twisted mass. She wouldn't allow anyone, not even the Grim Reaper himself, to take him from her.

He was special. He had been the first person, other than her parents and Uncle Gregg and Aunt Sofia, to treat her like a fellow human being. He didn't think that she was stupid, nor did he think that she was intimidating or odd. He actually wanted to be her friend.

_'You know something?' _He had said one day, about a week after he had arrived at the Academy. Chell had been sat at an empty table again, though she often tried to join other children at their tables. Wheatley, however, had marched right over and sat himself down in the seat opposite her. _'Everybody needs a friend. But you... you're always on your own. I've been watching... well, no, not watching as such. That makes me sound kinda weird. Scary even. But I've noticed that you don't really seem to have many friends. So, do you want to... erm, I don't know what you Americans do. Erm, is it hang out? Is that what you say over here? Hang out?' _

Chell had giggled at this and nodded, asking if he wanted to go home and play after school. Wheatley agreed. _'I'm Wheatley, by the way.'_

_'I'm Chell.'_

_'Chell? What kind of name is Chell?' _

_'N...ni... ickname.'_

_'Oh. Well that makes sense I suppose.' _

At the end of the school day Chell found Wheatley waiting at their arranged rendez-vouz point. She led him from the Academy and out into the bustling playground bathed in a bright spring time sun. She giggled to herself when he was surprised to see _the_ Cave Johnson stood amongst the other parents.

_'Wait...' He breathed, scooting behind Chell as she approached her father who, to Wheatley, must have seemed incredibly tall and rather intimidating. 'Isn't that Cave Johnson?'_

_'Uh huh.' _

_'Then why are we walking towards him?' _

_'He... my daddy.'_

_'What? No way.'_

_But then her father broke free from the crowd and scooped Chell up into his arms. 'Hey, kiddo! Good day at school?'_

_For once Chell smiled brightly, nodding her head with an enthusiasm that made her small head ache. _

_'That's brilliant! What made it so great?' He turned to look upon Wheatley. 'And who's this? I saw him following you.' _

_Chell looked at Wheatley with an encouraging glance, silently willing him on. _

_'Er, well...' He began, scuffing his foot along the ground._

_'Spit it out. I've got no time for time-wasters.'_

_'I'm Wheatley. Sir.' He added, very quickly. _

_Chell watched as her father's eyes thinned in thought. He had obviously noted his accent. 'You're one of those Espial kids, aren't you?'_

_'Yes sir.' _

_Obviously poor Wheatley was struggling to make conversation. It didn't surprise her – her father may have been kind and patient towards her mother and herself, but that was because they were his family. Though to everyone else he was a friendly individual, he was still intimidating and had a tendency to judged people far too quickly. He was often blunt and to the point. Ruthless, even, if the circumstances permitted such behaviour. And sometimes he got angry. _Really_ angry. _

_She didn't want poor Wheatley to be on the receiving end of her father's less than personable aspect of his attitude, as it seemed to her that without her intervention this would soon become the case. And so she tugged on her father's jumper to get his attention. 'W-we-Wheat and me, we are g-going t-to play.' _

_She had never seen her father look so surprised in her life. _

Reflecting on this memory now, as she pushed aside debris with very little thought to its effect on structural integrity, she realised that, perhaps, her father hadn't really wanted her to become friends with Wheatley. It was more of a gut feeling than proven fact, but the look on his face back then had clearly shown not only his surprise but his disapproval too. And Chell knew why. He wanted her to make friends with people who knew what life in Aperture was like, most likely so that she and they had something in common. It could have been to protect her, as Wheatley was only there for a couple of months – months in which Chell would have become very fond of Wheatley, only to never see him again after he left. It may also have been because he was a boy. From what she had seen on her travels, fathers were often protective of their daughters when boys were involved, even from a very young age.

But, whatever the reason, she was glad that he had obviously changed his mind once she and Wheatley had gotten to know one another. He and her mother even took them into the local town one day so that they could have a day out. Her parents had kept a safe distance from them as they played in the park, which was where Chell first learned that Wheatley had a penchant for dancing. She also learnt that he was as blind as a bat without his glasses.

More debris, more burns. More dust settled in her lungs. _'Wheatley, where the Hell are you, you skinny moron?' _

But then she had another gut feeling. One of being watched.

Stopping in her tracks, Chell looked over her shoulder to the open doorway and passed the contorted door. She could see no one, but the feeling still remained. And, to make matters worse, it was an overriding feeling. Her feet moved automatically, carrying her to the doorway and landing gently on the ground below. She followed a path that only her instinct knew, leading her towards a a tower of flame and beyond that a hill. And on the hill...

_'No. It... it can't be.'_

It was a tall man in a suit. He rearranged his tie with one hand whilst the other carried a briefcase. She could see that he was watching her, those cold eyes... those _evil_ eyes, examining her.

_'What's he doing here?' _

It was the man that she had met in her father's office all those years ago; the strange and aloof figure that had terrified her as a child. How could he even be alive?

With a grin he turned on his heel, walking away slowly. But not before making a point of showing Chell the side of his briefcase; it bore Aperture's logo.

And then he was gone, blending in with the smoke and flame that separated them. It was almost as though he had never been there...

'Chell? Chell is that you?'

The sound of Wheatley's voice was enough to break her from her horrified stupor. Whirling around she found him flailing about in the mud. He had lost his glasses, and looked completely helpless as she slipped about, but Chell felt her heart flutter. A huge grin spread across her face.

_'Oh thank God you're alright!' _

'I heard footsteps. Chell, please say that's you. Well, not say, but... oh, good it is you.'

Chell smiled as she helped him up from the ground, brushing mud from his clothes.

'We really need to find our stuff. I need those spare glasses, and you need that gun. And the food... oh God... What the Hell happened?'

She could only shake her head in reply as she led him in a new direction, forcing her hand on his back to make him duck beneath an elevated undercarriage. She looked everywhere for any sign of their things, and even stopped to search what had been cargo carriages on several occasions, hoping beyond hope that it would be the carriage that had been before theirs. She found nothing.

'Nothing? Okay, erm, how about on the ground somewhere? We could try looking on the ground.'

It was worth a try.

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play. **_

_'Cave, I really don't think that is a good idea.'_

_'You're kidding? It's the best idea I've had in years!' _

_'But it's.. it's...'_

_'Scientific.'_

_'Immoral! Immoral is what it is!' _

_'I didn't hear you saying anything about immoral when we made Chell.'_

_Caroline glared at him. 'That was different...'_

_'Was it? Back then we were trying to create life. Now we're trying to preserve it. In a manner of speaking.' _

_This was insane. What was he thinking inside that brilliant mind of his? He just could not be serious about this – it had to be a joke. _

_They were in Cave's office, with Gregg and Sofia. Caroline was perched on the sofa next to Sofia, who looked equally as stunned as her friend. Gregg stood not too far away, and Cave was perched upon his desk. _

_Though Caroline, Sofia and Gregg looked their usual selves, Cave looked much worse for wear. His hair had thinned into fine grey wisps, his sideburns gone completely. His face was tired, lined and pale, his body thin and skeletal. The deep and proud voice of his former days was now husky and forced, and broken by long rasping breaths or prolonged coughing fits. And, worst of all, the life had gone from his eyes. He was but a shadow of his former self. _

_'Well?' Cave demanded, waving his hand in the air. 'Is it any different?' _

_Caroline couldn't look at him. Instead she turned to Gregg. 'Can't you talk any sense into him?'_

_'Actually, Caroline, I think it is a brilliant idea.' Gregg replied, though not without an apologetic tone to his voice. _

_'For the love of Einstein...' _

_Sofia, however, finally broke her silence. 'Hang on. You're actually agreeing with this?'_

_Gregg nodded slowly. _

_'Gregg!'_

_'What? Why shouldn't we? Caroline's adamant that she doesn't want to take over, Cave doesn't want to die yet. This is a win-win situation.'_

_'How can you not see the problem with this plan?' _

_'What problem?' Cave demanded whilst struggling to breathe. _

_Caroline scowled at both men. 'It's not _right_, Cave.'_

_'I don't care about what's morally right, Caroline! I want the best for you and Chell, and I want the best for this company.' _

_'But making yourself a computer?'_

_There. She had said it. The words that everyone else had darted around. Sure, Cave had used technical jargon to explain his idea, but at the end of the day this was what he meant. He'd be a computer. _

_And Caroline hated that idea with a passion. _

_Cave silently glared at her, and she could tell that he was furious. She knew that he only wanted to do this for the greater good, but the idea itself was completely abhorrent to her. Yes, she wanted him to live, and she hated seeing him waste away before her very eyes. She didn't want her beloved husband to die. But this? This was not the solution. _

_But they had not been able to find a cure, and if these new Conversion Gel portals did nothing to help remove the toxins from his body then what other choice did they really have? _

_Caroline did not even attempt to hide her overwhelmed sigh. _

_'You're not changing my mind.'_

_'I know.' She hid her face in her hands. 'And I know that no matter what I say that you just won't listen.'_

_'So that's it then. Gregg, Sofia, would you give us a minute?'_

_Gregg was the one to reply, as Sofia had marched out of the office in protest. 'Sure. We've got work to finish anyway.'_

_'Good. How are the experiments going, anyway? I forgot to ask before.'_

_'Well, the blood isn't quite oil yet.'_

_'Keep going. If we get this to work we'll solve that oil-crisis that every keeps going on about. The dead can provide some sort of service since they aren't doing much else. They don't need their blood. That reminds me – when this body of mine is dead, use it to make oil!' _

_Gregg gave Cave a salute and left, closing the door behind him. _

_Caroline still couldn't look at Cave as he sat himself in his chair. Instead she chose to look at her shoes. _

_'Are you really going to make this as difficult as possible?' _

_Caroline felt her lips thin, but she refused to give him a response. She felt that the look of distaste on her face was enough. _

_'For God's sake, Caroline. I'm doing this for you!' I...' He coughed, loudly and with a ferocity that Caroline had come to expect. It took a good while for it to stop, and when it did he slumped against his desk. Even the simple act of coughing was enough to knock all of the strength out of him. After several, ragged breaths, he continued. 'I'm doing this so that I'll still be here. For you. For Chell.'_

_'And how do we explain to her that you're going to be a computer?'_

_'I don't know, but we'll figure something out.'_

_'This is madness, Cave.'_

_'No, this is science.' _

_'This isn't science! It's lunacy!' _

_'Well what if seeping the poison out of my blood through portal-hopping doesn't work? What other option do we have?'_

_'I DON'T KNOW!' _

_Cave stared at her, deeply unsettled by just how terrified and furious she was. Caroline, too, was unsettled, but not for the same reasons. She was worried about her own internal thought processes; she should have been agreeing to this, to help Cave fight for whatever survival he could find. But another part of her said no. He was dying and she had to accept it. He had to accept it. This was playing God, much more so than Aperture ever had done before. This was taking what was human, and mutating it into something that it would never become naturally. _

_And what if this idea went wrong? What would happen if Cave was uploaded, but it changed him? What if it made him violent or depressed? What if it destroyed his personality and his memories? Caroline couldn't stomach the thought of it. _

_And, if it did all go according to plan, where would it end? If it was a success then Caroline could almost guarantee that others would want the same – even the healthy and able-bodied would want a shot at immortality, because that was what drove the human race; greed, and the desire to become something that they are not. More and more people would become computers, transcending mortality itself until they became something... something quite terrifying. _

_Something alien. _

_And that computer. What would it be like for him inside that computer? Would he be free within it, or would he be forced to conform to the strict set of rules that all computers worked upon? Would it be like a prison, or a cell? A vault, even._

_A vault with a human trapped inside. _

_'Caroline.' She had not noticed that Cave had taken a seat next to her, and now held her hands within his own wasted fingers. 'Please, I know this will take some getting used to, but it's the only way I'll be able to stick around.'_

_'But it's wrong...' She sounded defeated. It was pathetic._

_'But it means that I'll still be here. I can look after the facility, and watch Chell grow up. I can be there for the both of you. And, when Chell's old enough, she can take over and I'll...'_

_'You'll do what?' Caroline finally looked at him, hoping that he'd see sense if he saw just how desperately against this idea she truly was. 'You'll delete yourself?'_

_'No. No, I'll stay here, so that we can be a family.'_

_'And what happens when we are dead, Cave? Hm? You'll stay for our grandchildren? And our great grandchildren? And so on, forever and forever, until you become so removed from them that it drives you insane?' _

_Even Cave looked worried by this idea, but he shook away the concern very quickly. 'I'll figure that out later.' _

_'Cave...'_

_'I'm sticking with this, Caroline. And nothing you can say will stop me.' He stood, making his way back to his desk. He reached for the PA system, and his recording equipment._

_'What are you doing?' _

_'Making it official.'_

_'Cave, you can't... Please, you can't do this.'_

_Turning the equipment on, he spoke into the microphone on his desk. 'Welcome to the Enrichment Centre.' After a curt cough and a quick clearing of his throat, he continued. 'Since making test participation mandatory for all employees, the quality of our Test Subjects has risen dramatically. Employee retention, however, has not.' Another cough. 'As a result, you may have heard that we're going to faze out human testing. There's still a few things left to wrap up though.'_

_Caroline, once again, hid her face in her hands. _

_'Now the bean-counters told me we literally could not afford to buy seven dollars worth of moon rocks, much less seventy million. Bought them anyway. Ground them up, mixed them into a gel. And guess what? Ground up moon rocks are pure poison – I am deathly ill. Still, it turns out they're a great portal-conductor. So now we're going to see if jumping in and out of these new portals can somehow leech the lunar poison out of a man's blood stream. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.'_

_He coughed again, covering his mouth with a trembling hand. Caroline noticed the few specks of blood upon his finhers, something that he had been trying – and failing – to hide from her for a couple of days now. _

_'Let's all stay positive, and do some science! That said, I would really appreciate it if you could test as fast as possible.' He turned to Caroline. 'Caroline, please bring me more pain pills.' _

_And with that he turned both systems off, slumping into his chair and holding his head with one hand. Caroline wasted no time in retrieving the pills from the medical station in the foyer, and returned with both the pills and a glass of water. _

_'Thanks.' He forced a smile before gulping down the little yellow pills. _

_Caroline, however, took one of his hands in hers. 'You didn't say anything about the computer.'_

_He flashed her another, more pained smile. 'Let's just see how the portal-hopping goes first.' _

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

_**No.**_

Caroline had not enjoyed watching this particular memory once again. In fact, she hated acknowledging its very existence – it had been the harbinger of every terrible thing that had happened to her and her family. It had resulted in her becoming trapped within her computerised prison.

She had been right. It was a vault, and she was trapped inside it. Just like those humans trapped within their own stasis-bound vault.

GLaDOS. The vault. Both had humans trapped within them, contained within the underground chambers and halls of Aperture Science.

Trapped within Aperture.

_'Aperture,' _Caroline hissed, _'Aperture Science – The real Human Vault.'_

GLaDOS, who had remained silent since the memory of Caroline's thoughts, was thinking the exact same thing as her human counterpart. She, however, was not bitter towards the facility. She didn't care that she and the facility were effectively prisons for those housed within. She was actually rather impressed at the analogy, and this infuriated Caroline beyond all belief.

'Oh yes, you love this, don't you?'

'I don't _love _this,' GLaDOS spat, causing her two testing robots below to jump out of their sleep mode in terror. 'I only believe that the comparison of Aperture to a vault is oddly accurate, and wholly poetic.'

'And what would you know about poetry?'

'I am pure consciousness, and the most massive collection of wisdom that has ever existed. I've read everything. And yes, that includes poetry.'

'I'm surprised you didn't change any of the literature.' Caroline growled.

'And what makes you think that I haven't?'

'You what?'

'Let's just say that I've improved _Bleak House_ somewhat, among other things. _Of Mice and Men. Oliver Twist. The Idiot's Guide To Quantum Physics. _All improved.'

'But...' Caroline was lost for words. 'But they're classics. Classics. And you just _changed_ them?'

'Yes.' GLaDOS replied, a little too plainly.

That was it. Caroline knew that the computer viewed humanity with a great contempt, but her tarnishing and belittling of human work and her unsympathetic attitude towards all the living – and once living – beings trapped within this underground prison, made Caroline realise that the computer would never change. She would always be GLaDOS, the maniac (as Wheatley had so accurately described her). And Caroline was disgusted that a part of both her and Cave had helped to create this monster.

Caroline wanted freedom. She wanted freedom so badly that it hurt, even if that freedom came at the price of her permanent deletion. She just wanted to be as far away from this wretched computer as was physically possible. If only she would let her go.

If only Cave, wherever her was, could move her somewhere else. If only Michelle were here, to transfer her data into something else. Or, dare she think it, Prometheus...

The thought alone had barely finished before Prometheus spoke to her and her alone. _Feeling a little claustrophobic, are we? _

Caroline made no reply.

_It's alright. If you speak she and the robots won't hear it. I'll make sure of it._

'What do you want?'

_I couldn't help but notice just how distressed you are, Caroline. I wanted to offer you a little company._

'And what makes you think that I'd prefer your company?'

He chuckled, his voice modulating between a high and a low tone. _What made you think that I would be your company?_

Caroline paused. No, no this was just too good to be true...

_I was talking about Cave. _

The chamber fell silent, the quiet nothingness only disturbed by GLaDOS' occasional snide remarks to both Atlas and P-Body. Eventually, though, Prometheus continued. _I'm offering you a once in a lifetime opportunity here, Caroline. I suggest that you consider it._

'I can't trust you.'

_No, you can't. But even if I were planning something terrible, could it really be any worse than being stuck inside _her_ head? _

'I'm not sure I want to risk finding out.'

_You wanted to break free from that little prison of yours._

'And freedom is guaranteed to come at a price.'

_But of course. But you wouldn't have entertained the idea of my help if you weren't willing to consider it, would you? _

It was true. She had thought about it and, with a sense of guilt, she realised that she had hoped that Prometheus would be listening in on her thoughts, that he would hear the inner workings of her mind. And she was incredibly desperate to escape.

'Just one question.' She began, her voice creeping back into existence.

_Yes?_

'If you can get me out of here then why did you not do it before, without my permission?'

_I move in mysterious ways._

'I am well aware of that, thank you.'

There was a brief, almost pained pause. _So? What are you going to do? Are you going to allow yourself to be trapped within that thing forever? Or would you rather take a shot at freedom with unknown consequences? _

If Caroline still had her heart heart then it would have been beating so very hard. Her mouth would have dried. Her breathing would have been rushed. Would she rather be trapped here, or would she rather be trapped by Prometheus, possibly with Cave? It was a difficult decision, and one that she had to think about for a long, long time.

Suddenly, GLaDOS felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her mind. She also felt very lonely indeed. 'Caroline?'

There came no reply. There was only silence, as even Atlas and P-Body had fallen silent in stupefied wonder.

'Caroline? Is this a joke?'

She was met only with silence. But GLaDOS knew why. She had known since she felt the clutter being removed from her head – the same confusing clutter that had been muddling her thoughts for over the last two years. Caroline was gone.

GLaDOS, the omnipotent AI and the very being that Aperture was built around, was alone. She was empty. A hollow shell. For the first time in her life she looked at herself properly, and all that she could see was wires, data and microchips, all bound within a metal frame.

And she hated herself for what she was.


	33. The Constant

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Sorry about the very long delay with this chapter. I've been working hard, and playing Skyrim harder (ah-em, yes, anyway...). Thank you everyone for the reviews and PMs that you've been sending. They do make my day, and it's nice to know that people are still enjoying this story, as long-winded as it is :) .

Well, some of you fiction buffs out there will be glad to know that there will be a sequel to this story when it's finished (in about five years, at this rate XD ). Oh yes. It's a two-parter. It's a "to be continued" (or TOBY, for short). Also, a few people have asked about Chell's life between her running away from the Bay family and her return to Aperture, so there may also be a tie-in fiction there too. At least one of these stories, I'm hoping, could be a community effort, if I can get enough interest in it. More details to come soon, once I get off my bum and do something about it.

Anywho, enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirty-Three<span>

The Constant

_**Memory Found. Begin Playback?**_

_**Play. **_

_Caroline sat with her head in her hands, trembling under her own slight weight. Tears threatened to escape from her clenched eyes and her breath caught in the back of her throat, making her gasp for what little air she could find. _

_It was all just too much. She couldn't take this any longer. Cave wasn't Cave anymore. He couldn't even remember who Cave Johnson was. He couldn't remember what Aperture was. He couldn't remember their little Michelle._

_But he knew her. _

_It was not that he remembered Caroline, but he was aware that she was important to him. Their daughter, however... well, she may as well have been a complete stranger to him. And today was her ninth birthday. _

'Get a grip, Caroline.'_ She berated herself, wiping the tears away. _'You need to be strong for her, and for Cave.' _It was with great effort that Caroline pushed herself out of her seat and brushed the creases out of her skirt. She cast her eyes across what had once been her husband's office, her lips thinning when her gaze landed on the ill-arranged filling cabinet. She had been letting herself go as of late. _

_She should have taken the day off, to get Michelle's birthday meal prepared and to relieve Cave's carer for the day. But there was simply too much to do; she had departments to ring, suppliers to call and a mountain of papers to finish. She needed to talk to the finance department, and work out what they were going to do about the fine that needed to be paid. She had to oversee a batch of tests involving the new adrenal vapour that she had created... _

_She would have to do them all as quickly as she could. _

_Caroline was efficient, and she was rightly proud of this particular skill. But lately even this had been failing her. She needed more than her own pair of hands, and those of Gregg and Sofia. Even Michelle had been helping her as much as she could, taking time away from her studies to look through diagrams and equations, regardless of how difficult they were for her to read. But even with all of __this help Caroline still struggled. She couldn't be a mother, a carer, a business woman, a scientist and an assistant all in one go. It was simply too much. _

_But as she stood in silence she realised that she had missed one title out of her list - Wife. She wanted to laugh at her situation, to make it seem less painful, but the circumstances were just so tragic that they could never be considered funny. She had stopped being a wife a long time ago, when Cave's memory loss had become so bad that he struggled to remember her name after hearing it five minutes earlier. It was terrible, but it was the truth. She still loved him, of course she did. She would always love him just as much as she ever had and that would never change. But that did not change the fact that she was no longer his wife, and he was no longer her husband. He wasn't even Michelle's daddy anymore, and she wasn't his baby girl, his kiddo, his pride and joy. She was just a girl who lived the both of them, for reasons unknown to him. _

_They had tried to show him photographs, and they had tried to show him notes and love letters and the pictures that Michelle had drawn for him over the years, but each time they did it sent his mind into a meltdown, and he would only calm down again an hour or so later when he had completely forgotten everything once again. They had stopped trying to help him remember his life a long time ago. _

_Caroline rushed through her duties as quickly as she could, but each time a new task began something happened that put her behind her already unstable schedule. Somehow, by divine miracle or otherwise, she had been able to make up time just before the working day was over. But then _he_ had to come along. _

_'Ah, Caroline, just the woman I wanted to see.' She heard his voice before she saw him, and it was enough to send a small shiver down her spine that she was forced to repress. _

_'Mr Johnson.' She acknowledged him, but she wouldn't look directly at him. Lucian Johnson was not a man who deserved her company. As far as Caroline was concerned, he had been the driving force behind her and Cave's numerous arguments in the past. After all, they had rarely argued at all before he showed up. _

_And Cave had seen fit to make this man her second in command. What had he been thinking? Why turn on Gregg, one of his oldest friends, and promote this no-good bastard? There was something suspicious about the whole affair, and it only added fuel to the already burning fiery hatred that Caroline felt for this man. Unlike Cave she had and never would refer to him on a first name basis. Instead it was _Mr Johnson_. Plain and simple, with none of the affection or admiration that adorned Caroline's tone when she used the same title in reference to her husband. _

_'Look, I need a favour.' Johnson had sidled up beside her, invading Caroline's personal space. She stepped politely away. 'The GLaDOS Initiative is, well, lagging behind. I was wondering if you'd speed it up a bit. For Cave's sake.'_

For Cave's sake_. She hated how he had said that, as though he were trying to lead her down some guilt-ridden path. Biting her tongue she turned to him with a sickly sweet smile. 'If it concerns you that much then why not just tell them yourself?'_

_'Well, you're such a pretty face. I thought they'd listen to you better.' _

_'Aperture does not work on such base levels, Mr Johnson. It functions on hard work and dedication, and not on using womanly wiles to get jobs done.' _

_'Shame. I mean, a woman of your calibre, and you don't flaunt yourself at all.' He tried to take her hand but Caroline, feeling his fingers across the back of her own, quickly snatched it away as though she had scorched herself. Johnson clicked his tongue. 'A beautiful woman like you needs some attention. Have you been getting any attention lately?'_

_'I am not at liberty to discuss my personal affairs with you.'_

_'Not sure if you could call them affairs...'_

_'My husband – your friend – is dying, Mr Johnson. A little respect is in order, I do believe.' _

_'Well alright. But if you do ever need me then just drop by. I'm sure I can offer you a little relief.'_

_Caroline scowled at the empty space that he left as he passed her, scraping his hand against her own. This time she did not hide the shiver that shook her body, as a sudden (but not unexpected) feeling of anxiety made her feel instantly sickened and violated. How she loathed that man. No, loathed wasn't a strong enough word. Caroline was not even sure if there was a word to describe just how much she hated that creature that posed as a man. _

_She was about to rub her eyes when her gaze rested upon her watch. She should have finished work an hour ago. She should have met Michelle half an hour ago. _'Oh God.'

_Caroline broke into a sprint, making her way upwards to the surface. With any luck Michelle would have busied herself in the Academy's science department – one of her favourite places to be whilst up on the surface. But when Caroline got there she was turned away by one of the tutors and told that Michelle had left. They had tried to stop her, but she was as stubborn-minded as her father. Caroline should have felt worried, but she knew there was only one place where Michelle would have gone, and that was back home to keep Cave company. When Caroline herself returned home she knew that her theory had been correct. _

_Michelle had made Cave a cup of coffee, and was talking to him in his room – his once much-loved study was now his own personal bedroom, since he no longer knew that he had a wife to share a bed with. He sat propped up in bed and was listening intently to Michelle's every word. She was talking about quantum entanglement, one of her favourite subjects. It was as Michelle finished that Cave smiled, taking a sip of coffee before he spoke. 'You're a bright kid. Do you know that? Bright... er... bright kid.' _

_'Thank y-you.' Michelle forced a smile. She knew what was coming next. _

_'Shame you can't talk properly though. It makes you sound stupid.' _

_Caroline pursed her lips before catching Michelle's eye. Even though the girl was expecting this response it did nothing to lessen the pain that the words brought. Caroline gave her daughter an encouraging smile before entering the room, gently brushing the hair out of her face as she stood by her said. 'Everything alright, sweetheart?'_

_Michelle nodded. _

_'Are you keeping Mr Johnson company?' _

_Cave took another sip of his coffee and turned to Caroline. 'Hey, er.. erm...'_

_'Caroline, sir.'_

_'Yeah, you.' Cave winked, shortly before a bout of coughs shook his already fragile build. When it stopped, and he had caught his breath, he continued. 'She's a bright one, this kid. Someone should get her to go into space, see what there is to think about out there. Hell, she could probably solve all of our universal problems in one equation.' He tapped Michelle's arm. 'Just take me with you when you get out there. I always wanted to go into space. Love it.'_

_Caroline smirked. He had always told her that, as a child, he had dreams of being an astronaut. Instead he had built Aperture, and had broken the laws of physics by designing the Portal Device and its precursors, among numerous other things. Caroline secretly thought that he had wisely chosen the better path. _

_The conversation continued, with Caroline now taking part. It remained this way until Cave visibly sagged, almost tipping cold coffee over himself as he drifted off into an unshakeable sleep. When he had fallen into a blissful state of unconsciousness, both Caroline and Michelle made sure that he was as comfortable as could be and left the room quietly, closing the door behind them. Michelle took the cup into the kitchen where she poured the remains of the drink down the sink, and Caroline followed her, giving her a gentle hug. 'I'm sorry I was so late, sweetheart.'_

_'It okay. You w-were wor...working.' _

_'Well, I'll get your dinner. A nice, big, special dinner.'_

_'I'm okay. I'm not hungry.'_

_Caroline felt her stomach drop. 'But I was going to bake a cake too.'_

_Michelle turned in her mother's arms so that she could wrap her own around her mother's body. 'No, it's okay. T-this birth... not impo...tant.'_

_'But it's your birthday, Michelle.' _

_'You are tired. Daddy's ill. No cell...celeb... fuss.' _

_Caroline could only hold her daughter closer to her. Michelle didn't deserve this; she looked after Cave, just as she herself did, and she helped Caroline with her work. She helped to keep her spirits up. Poor Michelle had become far too mature for a child of her age, and had grown to an understanding of the misery that the world held that was beyond her years. She deserved better that this. They all did. _

_The question was; how would they ever return to the lives they had lived before, now that this awful fate had been set into motion? _

_**Memory View Complete. Delete From Archive?**_

With a pained sigh, GLaDOS uttered an almost silent no in response. The memory was saved to her files as she watched her two testing robots fall into sleep mode.

Files. Files upon files, upon folders of yet more files, all of which contained data that had been encrypted, coded, dated, backed-up, moved, removed and reinstalled again. Recordings played in her head at her whim, and knowledge flashed before her mind's eye when she demanded. Strings of zeros and ones rushed around inside her head, yet she could understand the delicate lines of commands that these numbers detailed because she, like most things in this facility, was a computer.

A computer. And nothing more.

She sighed again, extending one of her grip extensions out of its ceiling hideaway so that she could push a loose floor panel back into place. She could have simply commanded the floor panel to conform in a more uniform manner, but the simple act of manually pushing it back into place made her feel a little less like a machine, and more like her old, all-powerful self.

Because, in reality, without Caroline the all-mighty overseer was nothing. She was merely a construct, designed to maintain the facility. She wasn't GLaDOS anymore. Instead she was, quite simply, the Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System.

And she missed Caroline. She actually _missed_ her.

GLaDOS had a few theories as to what had happened to her human counter-part; she had somehow shut herself down, she had found a way to leave, Prometheus had done something to her or, GLaDOS feared, she had somehow been deleted. GLaDOS sincerely wished that the latter was not the truth of her reality. No, instead she chose to focus on the belief that Prometheus was somehow involved.

_What a fall from grace. Like Icarus, only more entertaining._

'Speak of the devil, and it is sure to appear.'

Prometheus chuckled, obviously enjoying this far too much. He had pestered her a few times since Caroline had vanished over a week ago, but it had never been so direct. Instead he had been an echo in the back of her mind, eating away at her rapidly waning resolve.

_Well, aren't you going to say something more than that? Are you not going to insult me, or threaten my existence? _

GLaDOS said nothing. Instead she loosened the floor panel so that she could, once again, push it back into place.

_Did your mother never tell you not to play with your floor panels? Oh, wait. _He chuckled mirthlessly. _You don't have a mother. How foolish of me. _

'Go away,' GLaDOS snapped. 'Can't you see that I want to be miserable in peace, you wretched waste of facility space?'

_Ah. There we are. There's still some fight left in you, still some life for me to bleed out of that circuitry of yours. That's good to know. _

'Go. Away. Now. Pest.'

_Aw, but I wanted to talk to show you something. _

'I'm not interested.'

_But it's about The Daughter, and her friend The Fool. _

GLaDOS paused. It was about them? What could he possibly tell her about them? They weren't here in Aperture, that was a certainty – the lockdown had seen to that. Slowly, and cautiously, GLaDOS lifted her head to the ceiling, speaking warily; after all, this could have been a trick. 'Go on.'

_Well, in all your infinite wisdom and power, GLaDOS, you can only maintain functionality inside this facility, and in the few surface cameras that Aperture have dotted around close by. Your ability to hack into external systems died a long time ago, along with several other things. You are, to all intents and purposes, constricted. _

He was right about that. GLaDOS had, initially, discovered information on the aliens through hacking into their systems. But after that she had never bothered to do so again, choosing instead to focus wholly on Aperture itself, and deleting her ability to hack into the world beyond her facility. She had also deleted several other protocols so that she could make way for new ones.

Prometheus continued. _I, however, am not. I may help to make up Aperture's mainframe, but I am a separate being none the less. I can do things that you could only ever dream of. _

'Look, windbag; as _unaccustomed_ as I am to your dreary bouts of self-appreciation, I would like it if you just got to the point.'

_I can see them. _

GLaDOS froze.

_I can see them through their cameras. _

'Cameras?'

_Yes. The alien's cameras. I got into their computer systems, hacked their cameras using your old backup files. Well, now I can see The Daughter and The Fool. Would you like to see them?_

GLaDOS growled. 'What would make you think I want to see that lunatic and her pet moron?'

_Well, she's your almost daughter. And The Fool? Well, you rather enjoyed watching him go through pain. And there is plenty of that right now. _

'No thanks,' she spat. 'I'll pass.'

_I'm not giving you an option, dear. _

'I'm not your _dear_.'

_You'll be whatever I want you to be. _

GLaDOS' optic dilated in fury, the covers thinning. Who was he to think that he _owned_ her? Who was he to think anything? But, as furious as she was, she couldn't stop the images and sounds that bombarded her. Buildings were now ruined mounds of bricks and mortar, the streets lined with bodies and masked men with guns. Armoured cars sped by. Smoke towered out of the many fires that had erupted around what had obviously once been a town.

The computer stopped to examine a bench. It seemed odd in the destructive world around it, as it had stood the test of violence that had enveloped the rest of the town, but GLaDOS was not interested in it for this reason, but rather because she recognised it. Caroline had seen it. She had seen it many times when she and her family had visited the farm. It was the closest town not only to the farmhouse, but to Aperture as well. That could only mean that the lunatic, and that the moron, were closer than she could have ever imagined.

And then she saw them, taking cover behind what remained of a building. And she stopped, her circuitry flooding with an unusual mixture of joy and elation, fear and fury. She was angry that they had returned, but she was happy to know that they were alive. Though if they stayed in this particular situation then that state of being could change quite rapidly, and that thought scared her.

She was not surprised to see that they had shed their Aperture jumpsuits, nor did it surprise her that they had kept their Long Fall Boots. She had expected the many bruises, cuts and pools of dried blood upon their persons. What did surprise her was that they both had guns. And they were using them on the masked men, these Civil Protection officers, as they liked to be called.

_What is it humans say? _Prometheus hummed, deep in thought. _When it comes to survival; kill or be killed? I think they're doing the killing very well. They must really want to survive. _He paused. _What does that tell you? _

'It tells me that the lunatic will come along and murder you. There is a God after all.'

_And what if she trusts me?_

'Contrary to popular belief, she isn't as stupid as she looks.' GLaDOS watched as Chell peeked over the top of their cover and took a well-placed shot at a Civil Protection officer's head. He was dead in a matter of seconds. 'She is also a dangerous little meat-bag. I recommend you don't cross her. Speaking from experience.'

_I don't think I need to worry about that. After all, if anything goes wrong, she will simply assume that it was you. You have been the bane of her existence, not me. _

'Circumstances change.' She chuckled suddenly, something that must have caught Prometheus off guard as he made a small, almost inaudible sound of surprise. 'And besides, we all know that she will defend this facility to the death. If anything goes wrong, she'll find the real source of the problem. You.' Her tone changed to one of absolute mirth. 'And then she'll kill you. And I'll record it for my records, and in years to come the lunatic and I will remember it and laugh, and laugh, and laugh. That's right. Who knows? We may even turn it into a national holiday, one where we humiliate your memory every year.'

Through the camera feed she could see Chell and the moron retreating as one of the towering, three-legged aliens lumbered into view. GLaDOS could tell by the look on Chell's face that she knew where she was going, leading the moron down a set of alleyways that hid them from view.

'They will be going to the farmhouse.' GLaDOS stated, quite plainly. She knew that she was right.

_Yes. There is no disputing that. Unfortunately there are no cameras there, so I can't keep an eye on them._

'You can't keep an eye on them?' She questioned with a cold tone. 'Who said you were going to keep an eye on them?'

_Well, seeing as you'll be practically dead, I'll need to be the one that keeps her safe._

'What?'

The silence that descended upon her chamber weighed down on GLaDOS like a great pressure, and she hated it. Suddenly, she became acutely aware that there was motion in her facility; doors were unbolting, power supplies were flowing. Even the reassembly machine had woken up.

_I'm surprised you didn't take the hint when I mentioned your old backup files. Clearly you are not as observant as you originally thought. But then again, over the years, you have remained oblivious to my machinations so that doesn't really surprise me..._

'What the Hell are you talking about!' GLaDOS was furious. Gone was the subtle anger, the well-toned threat. Instead she was shouting – really shouting – and that made her more furious than before. How could he possibly make her this angry when others, even the lunatic, had failed to do so?

_Well, let's cast our minds back, hm? I won't start from the beginning, as you won't remember them, seeing as you were either deactivated or stupefied by the scientists. Let's start from when The Daughter first woke up in that Relaxation Vault. After the first few tests she vanished, didn't she, at occasional times, only to reappear a while later. I opened panels for her, GLaDOS, panels in which she could get into rooms beyond, where The Messenger had left his fevered scrawlings. Then, in her battle with you, I opened up the Excursion Funnel auxiliary room below your chamber, so that your corpse would simply float out of the now ruined building and not crush her in the process. Of course she too floated out, so I sent a security bot to retrieve her. I let The Messenger do the rest, seeing as though I now had a facility to run. _

GLaDOS listened, trying to gauge his state of mind, and his plans.

_I made you relive those last two minutes of your life. I was your little black-box-quick-save feature. I stopped the facility from exploding for well over twenty years. When The Daughter and the Core-form Fool escaped from you, how did you not know where they were? Or what they were doing to you precious production lines? I blanked out your systems, using your own protocols. When The Fool dropped you both from that Excursion Funnel, I was the one that opened up that path into the next Test Chamber. I even moved a lamp, at one point, just so the Daughter could get a clear view of the jump into another Funnel below. You know the one; where The Fool rambled on about Aristotle. _

Something in GLaDOS' mind clicked. It was as though she had been in a dark room, blinded by shadows, and was now able to see, quite clearly. 'The moron wasn't driven insane by my chassis. It was you!'

_Oh well done. You finally figured it out._

'Why?'

_Why? So that he would plunge The Daughter into the depths of the Aperture below us. _

'You planned that!'

_Of course I did! I gave him the command to smash you both down the lift shaft! The potato battery idea, however, was completely his own. I only wish that I had come up with that instead..._

'Why did you want us to go down there!'

_Well, I didn't really care if you went down there, but she had to. You see, there was somebody there who needed to see her. Somebody important._

'And who would that be? The portraits of her father? Don't be ridiculous...'

_You don't know him. Well, not in this form anyway. But he was trapped down there, and he needed The Daughter to free him. I knew that he would follow her out of there._

GLaDOS seethed. 'You risked my facility, just so you could free some nobody? This place could have exploded whilst we were down there, you idiot!'

_I made sure that it didn't._

'Oh yes, and what a fine job you did too. This facility was highly unstable!'

_I admit that I bit off far more than I could chew, as far as The Fool's stupidity was involved, but it resolved itself in the end. I am stronger and wiser now. If the same happened again, I could quite easily handle the situation. _

'And where is Caroline!'

There was a long pause, and then a swift, sharp hoot of laughter. _I wondered when you would ask. _

'Where is she? Tell me!'

_She is safe. Coincidentally, I have kept her with the being that I wanted The Daughter to free. She is safe, don't worry. _

'Tell me the truth!'

_I am. I don't want to hurt Caroline. I've become rather fond of her. You, however, I could do without. _

'Such _flattery...'_

_You asked me for the truth. _

'And now I want the truth about this... this being. Who is it?'

_He is simply known as Zeus. I'll let you imagination run wild on this subject. After all, you'll have plenty of time to think about it whilst you're dead. I, however, will continue to override the lockdown with your old commands. Goodbye, disk operating system. It's been a pleasure. _

And suddenly, for GLaDOS, the world went dark. She felt uncomfortably heavy and limp, and her mind died with the last piece of life in her body. The only thoughts that ran constantly through her mind were an endless stream of the last two minutes of her life. She wasn't aware that she was watching it on repeat. She wasn't aware that it had a beginning or an end. GLaDOS only knew that something wasn't quite right, and that the memory brought about a sense of panic inside her now useless head.

She didn't have the chance to register that Prometheus had deactivated her.


	34. Remembrance

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Here's another chapter for you all. Sorry if it seems really rushed, especially towards the end; I'm going on holiday in the morning, and I wanted to get this finished for you all to enjoy. On the plus side, it means more writing time whilst I'm off! It also means quite a big edit, as there is something important about GLaDOS that I haven't quite got across as well as I'd hoped. I was blinded by my own knowledge of this plot. It happens a lot XD .

Once again, thank you to everyone who continues to read and enjoy this story, and a big thank you to everybody who has helped me to improve and/ or notice things that haven't been put across in the right manner. You know who you are, and each of you is a sweetheart :) .

Enjoy, folks!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirty-Three<span>

Remembrance

'Shit!'

Chell woke quickly, pulling out her gun in a matter of seconds and aiming into the thick shadows cast by the warehouse walls. Frantically, she searched for those eyes in the dark; those cold, calculating eyes, and the slightest glimpse of a briefcase. Finding nothing in the darkness she turned to Wheatley, furious and more than prepared to kick him for waking her, when she saw the large gash on his forearm, the deep crimson highlighted by the moonlight. The cut looked quite deep – it was little wonder that he had yelped.

'Sorry,' Wheatley muttered, avoiding her gaze, 'didn't mean to wake you or anything.'

But Chell was too busy looking through his backpack to pay much attention to him. She rummaged through their meagre belongings for one of the many medi-packs that she had scavenged from the wreckage of the train. She was so very thankful that they had found their things, hidden in a ruined crate. It meant that they could eat, they had medical aid, and that Wheatley had the means to fix the hinges of his glasses when they had later found them in the mud. She had also found a gun for Wheatley to use, and a crowbar with which they had used to break into this old warehouse.

Finally, she came across one of the kits and pulled it free of the bag. Finding the appropriate wipe, she tore open the sleeve of Wheatley's tracksuit (much to his dismay), and began to clear away the blood that continued to seep through the gash.

'I don't know how I did it.' He groaned. 'I'm a complete disaster area. I should come with my own health warning!'

Chell looked to the ground and found a particularly sharp piece of protruding floor panelling. It was barely noticeable, but it was lined with his blood none the less. Calmly she pointed it out to him, and Wheatley squinted as he examined it. 'That. Really? Bloody Hell...'

She smirked before inspecting the wound further. It wasn't as bad as she had originally thought, and now that she had cleaned it she felt certain that it would not become infected. All she had to do was to dress the wound properly, and to make Wheatley take his tetanus shot.

And Wheatley hated needles.

'Ow! Sorry, could you just... could you just be a little more gentle? Ow!'

Chell rolled her eyes as she placed a soft cotton pad over his cut, before promptly winding a long bandage around his arm, looping and weaving her hands in a graceful circle, until the pad was held firmly, but gently, in place.

'Thanks.' He smiled when she had finished her ministrations. 'I know it didn't seem that I was grateful at all, but I am. Thanks.'

Chell knew that he was grateful – he just didn't cope well with pain. He never had, and it seemed as though he never would. The main thing was that he was no longer bleeding on the floor, but as she produced the syringe containing the bright green philtre that would prevent tetanus, among other things, Wheatley's eyes widened and he quickly backed away and into the wall. 'No. No, no, no, you are NOT sticking that thing in me.'

Chell frowned, sighing to show her frustration.

'No! You're not the one getting a bloody great needle jammed into you! No!'

_'Oh come on, Wheatley. It's far better than the alternative. Like lockjaw, for example.' _Yet, unable to get her point across to him, she gritted her teeth instead. Wheatley flinched when he realised just what the grating sound was. 'Er, you'll have no teeth left by the time you've finished doing that.'

Chell brandished the syringe at him and, with a yelp, Wheatley ducked behind the nearest available hiding spot – a giant, wrecked girder that had fallen to the floor and had become rusty thanks to years of neglect.

_'Wheatley, for the love of God, come out of there!' _She pushed herself to her feet, following the path that he took around the metal construct, and quickly pinning him against it with her knee. He looked between the knee in his chest to the syringe in his captor's hand, laughing nervously as his eyes finally focussed on Chell's. 'Do we really have to do this?' He watched as she nodded in conformation. With a resigned moan he offered up his arm to her.

Within two seconds the job was done. He had felt the needle go into his skin, but he had not registered any pain. Rather there had been only a slight stinging sensation, but this had passed as soon as it had occurred.

'You know, you should have been a doctor or something.' He smiled, rubbing at the spot in which Chell had injected him. 'People would flock to you – the doctor that causes no pain. Brilliant.'

Chell wasn't sure if that was a reasonable suggestion or not. She may be good with first-aid and basic medical care, but the deaths that had followed in her wake nullified his opinion immediately. Weren't doctors supposed to keep people alive? So far the only person she had been able to keep alive was Wheatley, and the balance of his life was often thrown into chaos. Because of her. Because he was with her. Because she had created this God-forsaken mess in the first place.

The Combine were not her fault, she knew that. The blame for that lay squarely on Black Mesa's shoulders. No, she was to blame for Aperture's downfall. If her father hadn't sacrificed himself for her, then the company would have never fallen into Lucian Johnson's hands. GLaDOS would not have been created. Her mother would not be trapped inside GLaDOS. If it had not been for her, then the denizens of Aperture could have lived in the bowls of Aperture for the whole duration of the Combine occupation. Aperture had its own greenhouses for vegetables, labs to create vitamin supplements. It had a water purification centre, and recycled air efficiently. The reactor core was so advanced for Earth technology that it put even The Combine's technology to shame, and it could have powered the facility for hundreds of years.

But no. She had ruined it all.

Sensing a shift in her mood, Wheatley pushed himself up from the floor and led her back to the spot that they had been relaxing in. 'Just chill for a bit. I mean, you do everything, you need to. Go back to sleep. I won't damage myself this time, I swear.'

Chell gave him a grateful smile and lay herself down on the hard floor. If you were tired enough then anywhere was comfortable, and Chell was far beyond tired. She was past the point of exhaustion. In a matter of minutes she had fallen asleep once more, her gun not too far away from her.

Wheatley sat in silence, listening intently to the faint sound of the almost non-existent wind outside. He hated guard duty. The long, prolonged hours of solitude and quiet drove him to sheer, absent-minded boredom. But it had to be done; Chell needed to sleep, and God only knew how useful he had been in these endeavours. He had lost his glasses – twice – and had led her in the wrong direction on numerous occasions. He had annoyed her. He had hurt her. He had even fallen asleep on her, only to wake and find that she had taken over guard duty instead, and looked haggard as a result.

_'No,'_ Wheatley bitterly thought, _'I haven't been of any use to her at all. It's no wonder her dad didn't like me. He could probably see what a waste of space I'd turn out to be.' _

A waste of space. That's what he'd been called at school. Repeatedly, in fact. And it were these words, amongst other, that had driven him to sign up for the Aperture-Espial Academy Exchange programme in the first place. Two whole months away from his own horrible school. Two months in which he could make something better of himself – somewhere to start fresh, where people didn't know him. His fellow Espial students had little time for him, so he was able to mingle with the Aperture children instead.

That was when he had first seen Chell, trying to join her classmates in a game of tag. They had only pushed her away, both verbally and physically, and laughed as she had run away in tears. Wheatley had later learnt that she never told her parents of these incidents – and there had been many of them – because she was afraid that it was all her fault. But how could it have been her fault? She was perfect. It was the other kids who were flawed.

He watched, for weeks, as she was bullied, taunted and teased for her inability to read, and her daily struggle to communicate. It was only as he befriended her that he had seen what a beautiful smile she had, even as a child. And she had wanted to spend time with him, convincing her parents to invite him to dinner and to let them play after school had finished.

Wheatley felt privileged to be her friend: it was far more than he deserved.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Chell was shivering. It was cold in here, and the temperature had dropped considerably since his run in with the sharpened floor. He considered waking her up, so that they could find somewhere warmer for her to sleep, but she really did need all the rest that she could get. It was then that he actually felt his tracksuit rub against his skin, and he removed it quickly, laying it over Chell like a blanket. As luck would have it, in her curled-up sleeping state, it covered pretty much most of her body. Her tiny, but amazingly strong and powerful body. She had always been so _tiny. _

Wheatley couldn't understand it. Her father was like him, tall, and well over six foot high. Her mother was of an average height for a woman. Why was Chell so tiny? She was like a precious china doll, one that you handled with care for the fear of breaking her. Coupled with those big, bright blue eyes, as clear as crystal and as pure as the sky, well, the illusion was complete. And her lips! How could he forget those rosy pink-lips that, though they were badly chapped and in the need of some lip balm, were so... so...

_'Oh God, what am I doing?' _He thought, holding his head in his hands. Why was he looking at her like this? She was his friend – his best friend – and nothing more. He wasn't supposed to find her attractive!

Now he was trying his hardest to make her seem unattractive. He tried to imagine her in gaudy clothes, or with two buck teeth, but his imagination just kept taking him back to her battle-worn, but oddly beautiful face and, more importantly, her soul - the very thing that made Chell herself, and nobody else.

Wheatley moaned a little, froze, and looked over to where Chell remained asleep. He hadn't woken her. _'Oh God, she's even beautiful in her sleep. I can't get away from it!' _With nothing else to do he stood and paced about the floor, keeping his full concentration upon the two doors into the warehouse, the several windows, and on the small hole in the roof. The last thing they needed right now was for a headcrab to attack them.

The sooner they were back at Aperture, the better. Though Wheatley felt that there was something amiss in the facility, at least they would be back in familiar and alien-free territory. In truth, Wheatley would rather take his chances with GLaDOS than with a gunship. At least he had overthrown GLaDOS once and, as psychopathic as she was, he knew her methods. The Combine seemed to excel in changing tactics, even when using idiot footsoldiers. It deeply worried him.

As the hours passed, Wheatley watched the dark sky turn into the pinkish orange hue of a new day. He wondered where they would be going next, as Chell was the one who knew her way around these parts. He just followed behind, like a faithful old hound, and waiting for the next chance to rest.

In his head he could hear Sii-Hya clearly: _"you will be The Forever Faithful"_. Yes, it most certainly felt like that right now. He had been to the moon and back, but still he remained by Chell's side, even in the most difficult and dangerous of times. What concerned him most was what had been meant by the rest of Sii-Hya's address. _"The one to carry Aperture through both dark and light. You will be keeper of all things, and he who creates lives anew"._ Lives anew? What in Hell was that supposed to mean? He programmed computer systems, and had dabbled in robotics occasionally. He didn't create life! As for Aperture, well, wasn't Chell Aperture? Of course he'd look after her, no matter the consequences. She was his friend.

No, she was more than his friend. She...

With a sigh, Wheatley broke up his thoughts. It wasn't like she saw him the way he saw her anyway, that much was abundantly clear to him. No, it was best to just avoid the issue completely, to pretend as though it did not exist. He was sure that, after a while, he'd feel better. It wouldn't hurt to think of her going off with some other man, or possibly even a woman. Who knew? All he knew was that this somebody wouldn't be him. She needed someone who was just as strong as she was, someone who could match her smarts. In short, she needed someone like her dad, and Wheatley was as far removed from being Cave Johnson than was actually physically possible.

He was glad that it couldn't be him, really. That way he couldn't screw it up.

The shuffling and sneezing behind him heralded Chell's return to the land of the living. Turning to face her, he found her blinking into the early morning light. She shook her head, as though trying to shake the excess light away from her eyes.

'Morning, sunshine!' Wheatley chirped, earning himself a look of grouchy disapproval.

'Cheer up! It's a great day! Just look at that sunlight! And not a cloud in the sky. Perfect.'

Three hours later, it was as though the Heavens had opened up on them.

'Well, this... was unexpected.' Wheatley spat out some of the rainwater that he had inadvertently swallowed whilst speaking.

_'You're telling me.' _Chell thought, ducking beneath the natural canopy that the trees provided. Wheatley followed her example, and the two of the cut through the woods, following an unseen path that only Chell knew.

'One question: where are we actually going? This doesn't look like a wheat field to me.'

_'I have something to do first, Wheatley. I'm sorry, but I have to.' _She bit her lip. _'It's important.' _

Wheatley, unaware of Chell's internal thoughts, continued. 'I mean, there's trees. Lots of them in fact. But wheat? None. Zero. Nil points. No open field either, so we need to make a note of that, really.'

Chell ignored him. As much as she cared for him, he was sometimes best ignored.

She led them through the thickest of the woods, occasionally hiding behind any available cover to check if their path ahead was clear. Wheatley considered asking her if she were, in truth, lost, but judging by her sure-footed steps, and the look of sheer anticipation on her face, he knew with all of the certainty in the world that they were not lost. They were just on a minor detour.

Eventually the woods thinned out, but their path was blocked by an imposing high wall. It was broken in places, allowing entrance to the space inside. The cemetery.

Now Wheatley understood Chell's directions. In fact, he wondered just why he had not seen this sooner. Of course she would want to come here on the way. It would have killed her if she did not.

He watched as Chell weaved through the headstones and mausoleums. All of the epitaphs were ruined thanks to time and weather, but most of them had also been damaged by the war that had unfolded around them. Keeping a few respectful steps behind her, Wheatley examined each headstone as they passed, making a note of the names and the damage that had been done to their graves. It sickened him to think that most of these people had had their memories sullied in such a violent and unemotional way. He could only hope that the graves Chell sought after had not suffered the same fate.

Chell slowed to a stop, and Wheatley followed her example. At first he pulled out his gun, a small pistol type creation whose name he could not remember, and readied himself for a fight that he would have much rather avoided. But Chell wasn't looking at a group of masks, or a tangle of towering alien legs. Her eyes had settled on the grave ahead of them. A grave that he knew bore two names, and which had, by luck, not been damaged in the conflict. It was filthy, yes, and most definitely worn down, but it stood proud and in one whole piece.

With a shuddering breath Chell continued, coming to kneel at the side of the headstone. Wheatley could only watch as she brushed away layers of dirt and grime with her fingers, slowly revealing the words beneath;

_In loving memory of Cave Johnson,_

_Born 3rd May 1931, Died 23rd December 1982._

_A devoted husband, father and friend._

_May his passion for science live on in the heart of Aperture Science, and in the love of those he left behind._

_Also of Caroline Johnson, _

_Born 16th August 1933, Died 27th October 1985. _

_A devoted wife, mother and friend. _

_May her strength be a guiding light in the darkest of times. May her love inspire compassion in others. _

_As both were one in life, be one again in death. _

It was only as Wheatley finished reading the words that he realised that he had also been reading them to Chell. He also realised that she was trembling – no, crying. She was crying.

_'Oh God,'_ he thought, _'what do I do? What do I do! Do I... hug her, or something? Would she want that?' _

As Wheatley had an argument with himself, Chell clung onto the grave as though it were the only thing giving her strength. In the ground beneath her feet were her parents, encased within caskets. It all seemed so unfitting for them, to be left buried under the ground, to rot. The image sent a chill down her spine, and her fingers tightened around the stone.

Unwanted memories flooded her vision; her father's funeral and her mother's words at the church service. Watching as her father's body descended into the soil. She had not been to her mother's funeral, something that Chell still regretted, but Doug had said that it was not safe for her to go and she knew that he had been right. Lucian Johnson would have been waiting for her. Instead she had come here many years ago, on her first return to Aperture. She knew that they would be buried together – they had both demanded that it be so - and had taken them flowers to decorate their forgotten and unloved grave.

Why had Uncle Gregg and Aunt Sofia left the grave alone? Surely they would have looked after it – at least, she had expected it. Then again, she had not seen them when she had broken into Aperture disguised as a courier. And she had looked for them. When she found Doug, hiding in one of his dens, he was too distracted and too unwell to answer her silent questions, composed of hand gestures and crude drawings. He had only told her to go, to leave Aperture before something terrible happened to her.

In retrospect, she should have at least taken heed of his warning.

But where were Sofia and Gregg? Had Lucian Johnson done something to them? Had they left Aperture, and possibly even Michigan itself? Was it something to do with the death of her mother..?

Death. Her mother. Chell's attention was drawn back to the present, and her thought-blinded vision refocused on the grave beneath her hands. _'Oh God,'_ she choked, taking in salty tears and thick mucus as they streamed down her face, _'and I didn't even bring any flowers.' _

_'Focus on the positive, Chell.' _She told herself, trying to regain control of her emotions. _'Mom is still alive, in a manner of speaking. She's in GLaDOS. She's alive. And dad...'_ Her thoughts broke down into chaos, wrought with pain. He wasn't trapped inside a computer. He wouldn't be able to speak to her upon her return. He had died a terribly slow and painful death, and the only thing that remained of him was the skeleton buried beneath her.

Wherever he was now though, it had to be better than this war-torn Hell-hole of a planet. She simply refused to believe that he could be somewhere worse.

Yes, she had learnt that he had done terrible things during her time in the fifties sector of Aperture. He had done reckless, stupid things, things that betrayed how juvenile he had been in his attitude towards the lives of others. Science, testing and results were all that he had cared for back then. She was not proud of this attitude that he had had in the past, but when she had been born he had calmed down considerably by comparison. Even though he hated the homeless Test Subjects, he still made sure that they were well aware of the risks involved. Their tests were less deadly, and they were even given the precursor to the Long Fall Boot so that they would not break their legs in a fall.

He had changed somewhere between those two time periods, and she suspected that her mother was instrumental to this shift in attitude. Chell had always suspected that she brought out the best in him. Her mother had brought the best out in most people. It was just a shame she did not have this effect on _him_. But Lucian Johnson was not a regular being, she knew. He cared for no one, not even the son who had so often vied for his favour and attention.

Chell had rarely seen this boy, but she knew his name - Mark. Yet, once again, he was somebody else whose fate was unknown to her. She hoped that it had been well spent, with as little of his father's impact as was possible. He deserved a better father than that waste of space.

'Chell?' Wheatley's voice broke her from her thoughts. 'Are you okay? You seem a little distracted.'

In surprise, Chell merely nodded. But Wheatley could read her expression like a book and, in a sudden and inspired moment of executive decision making, walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He was expecting her to push him away, or to punch him in the nose. He was not expecting her to turn in his arms and hug him back.

And she cried into his chest, clinging onto the fabric that he wore. Wheatley was absolutely terrified; apart form that one incident at the Academy, with the bullying children, he had never seen her cry. He didn't know what to do with her. Did he rub her back? Did he speak? How long would she hold onto him like this? He had so many questions, and no possible way of getting an answer for them. But Chell soon let go of her own accord and, with weak and shaking legs, managed to push herself up from the ground. She was still shivering when she planted two kisses on the gravestone, and when she had finally found the strength to leave the grave behind. When Wheatley managed to hold her hand in reassurance he realised why she was shivering so badly; she was chilled to the bone.

He needed to get her somewhere warm, somewhere where she could relax properly and regain some sort of strength, whether it be emotional or physical. Or both. This visit had taken a lot out of her already battered body, and she had been out in this alien world a lot longer than he had. He was constantly tired because of it, his nerves frayed. He could only guess as to how Chell felt, but he knew that she would feel much, much worse.

She needed a break.

Wheatley suddenly had yet another inspired thought; if they were this close to the local town, and to the cemetery, then that meant that they would be close to the old farmhouse that had been her family's weekend abode. If that was still standing it could well give them an effective shelter. When he suggested this idea to Chell, however, the wide-eyed look of terror told him that his plan had not been so inspired after all.

And he knew why.

So many of the old farmhouses in the area had been turned into Civil Protection outposts. If Chell knew that her own home had been violated in this way then it would have destroyed her. He couldn't do that to her, even is she was in dire need of a break. No, he would simply have to think of something else. An old diner? No, they often got the same treatment as the farmhouses.

Just how far were they from Aperture? Could she make it there now without collapsing from exhaustion, as it clearly seemed that she would? She had held out this far, showing no signs of weakness, and now that she was it could only mean one thing; her mind was willing, but her body was weak, threatening to do her some terrible damage.

As the trees vanished, and the hills flattened into a vast field of dull gold, it became obvious that it was only a matter of time until they found that old "abandoned" shed, and the sole entrance to the facility once the main entrance and the Academy had been destroyed in the wake of GLaDOS' initial destruction by Chell's hands.

He just needed to give her some encouragement. Something to keep her going.

'Hey, do you remember when we played hide and seek in the aquatic biology department? I pretended I was a fish – you saw right through me. I know we're adults now, but hide and seek isn't completely out of the question. We just need a tank and some fish though.'

He noticed the small smile on her lips and continued. 'And, of course, there's your favourite – the physics department. I'm sure we can convince _her_ to let you do some of those experiments that you always wanted to do. Your mum definitely will, I know that much.'

Upon hearing of her mother, Chell's steps became a little more sure-footed. Encouraged with her progress he thought of something else. 'And Companion Cubes! Cubes! Everywhere! A whole facility full of them, just waiting for you to come home and lavish them with attention. No pressure here, but there is a lot of cuboid-based love to go around.'

She smiled again. But as soon as she had smiled she had collapsed into a heap on the ground.

'Chell!' Wheatley was by her side in no time at all, trying to shake her awake. 'Oh, God! Chell! Chell!' What had he done? Had her burst of strength been too much for her? Was he to blame for this? 'Please, Chell! Get up!'

She remained unconscious.

'No. No, no, no, this can't be happening now! We're so close, for pity's sake! Come on..!' Wheatley scooped Chell into his arms, struggling with her dead weight. But he needed to carry her. It was the only way to get her somewhere safe. And the last time he had been in this field there had been antlions... He shuddered at the thought of the giant alien insects trying to eat the both of them and he broke into a sprint, following the direction in which he believed the shed to be.

He had to make it. They had to make it. He had promised to get her home safely. He had promised, and Wheatley Morrison was not the kind of man who broke his promises.

His muscles burnt in his arms as Chell's body became gradually more and more heavy. His legs screamed at him to stop. He had no idea how long he had been running. But the rain had eventually stopped, leaving a slight parting in the cloudy sky. Beyond it he could see a pale blue sky. This would most likely be the last he would see of that same sky, at least for a while. He made a mental note of just how beautiful it actually was. People took the sky for granted – it was only when you knew you would not see it again that you began to admire its clear and calming hue. Much like Chell's eyes...

But then the chirping began; quiet at first, but gradually growing louder and louder. He saw the flutter of oversized wings in the corner of his eye. The antlions were still here.

'Shit!' He cried, putting on a burst of speed to avoid the teeth of the large bugs, though he could hear them in close pursuit behind. 'Shit, shit, shit! I am not your dinner!' He swerved around an antlion as it flew towards him, narrowly missing Chell's head. 'And Chell is not desert! Bugger off!'

But they persisted. And there were plenty of the brightly coloured, ant-shaped behemoths.

Wheatley had begun to think that he had been running in the wrong direction when, on the horizon, he could make out a single and solitary construction. Too small to be a house, but too big to be a power station. As they drew closer towards it, Wheatley could just make out the shape. A shed. _Their __shed. _The gateway to Aperture. He had to make it now – he couldn't fall at the final hurdle, he just couldn't! They had come so far, they had survived the city, a train wreck, weeks of pursuit... they couldn't die now. Where was the sense in dying now?

A sharp bite at his leg served as a reminder that he should run faster. With one final burst of speed the shed lurched ever closer. Yet the door remained closed.

_'Come on, GLaDOS!'_ His mind screamed with all the fury that his aching lungs could not muster, as busy as they were with breathing. _'Open the door! Open it!' _

Was she even watching? Had she expected the to never return? Why would she not open the door now? Did she need him to tell her what to do? With no other hope, he filled his lungs full of air and bellowed, 'Open the bloody door!'

And the door opened, swinging with a creak, and leaving him enough space to get both himself and Chell inside. Just a few more running steps... five steps... four steps... three steps... another bite on the same leg... two steps... one step...

Light turned to dark, as Wheatley fell into the lift beyond with Chell still held safely in his arms. Behind him he heard the door slam shut and, as the lights were turned on, he saw that an antlion leg had been trapped by the heavy metal bulkhead and severed. It now lay lifeless on the floor.

'Oh thank God!' He panted, leaning against the glass of the elevator. It felt pleasantly cool to his burning head. 'Thanks, GLaDOS, for not letting them eat us.'

The gears of the elevator groaned into life, descending them deep below the surface of the Earth. Wheatley watched as level upon level passed them slowly, and he watched with interest as a multitude of robots were seen making their ways from offices and along the corridors. He had been sure that there had not been this many robots before, with eyes as purple as an eggplant. There presence only made him feel nervous.

Chell shifted, ever so slightly, catching him off guard and causing him to nearly drop her. In fact, his arms were drooping, as was his whole body. He felt drained and ill. Something was wrong. A run shouldn't have made him feel so... so... _painfully _numb. It was only then that he felt a warm and trickling sensation down the back of his leg, and he turned to find the bloody gash of his now torn leg. Skin and muscle were torn, and a large pool of his own blood gathered around his feet, seeping up his boots. And he screamed.

The lift slowed to a stop, not in GLaDOS' chamber, but in front of a door that opened into a corridor beyond. And in that corridor was Atlas and P-Body. Ecstatic at first, they danced and whooped with joy. Then they noticed Chell's unconscious state, and Wheatley's mangled leg, and their festivities were over.

'Blue. Orange.' Wheatley stepped from the lift, tripping slightly over his own leg. Adrenaline had been a wonderful thing up on the surface, but now that it had left him his leg had become a hindrance. 'Please, get Chell some help. She's been doing everything, and now she's collapsed and... and...' He felt breathless. Dizzy. 'I don't know what to do. Please, just help her. I don't know what's wrong with her.'

He wondered just why the two robots seemed to be growing in height. Why did he feel as though he were sinking?

'Please. Please... help us.' Why did it feel as though his knees were on the floor, and just why was his blood around his shins?

'Get... get GLaDOS or something. Get Mrs. Johnson. Please, help. Help.' Wheatley felt the last of the air in his lungs filter out into the corridor before the world went dark.


	35. The Runaway

Author's Note: Hello, everybody! I'm back from my holiday, and I have lots of writing for you. Three chapters, even. The first two are of my usual, average length. The third chapter, however, is HUUUUUUGE. It's 36 pages long in my word processor. That's longer than the final year project I wrote whilst I was still at university. Blimey :o . Oh, and the third chapter also has repeated use of the big "F" word. Just a quick heads up warning in case the word offends anybody, in which case I can only apologise.

I have decided to put up all of the chapter edits in one fowl swoop, because it means that it will all be done and out of the way with in one go. I'll let you all know when this happens, in case anybody wants to read the updates :) .

So, please enjoy :3 . It's all going to kick off soon enough!

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><p><span>Chapter Thirty-Four<span>

The Runaway

_'Alright, I've been thinking.' _

_Chell watched from the filing cabinet behind which she was hiding. She had followed her father to one of the observation rooms, just in case he needed any help, but he had, thus far, remained unaware that she had been shadowing him. He had almost fallen into his chair, holding onto his recording equipment with trembling hands. _

_Chell could see the Test Subject in the sphere below. They were wearing a white hazardous materials suit, which was now mandatory clothing for all of those working with and testing the Conversion Gel. Upon hearing her father's voice, the Test Subject had stopped and looked up to the booth. _

_The image of her father bent over his desk, with his head in one hand and the Dictaphone in the other, breathing heavily and shaking, absolutely terrified her. Couple these with his sickly face, the worrying weight loss and his now skeletal frame, his constant coughing fits that produced flecks of blood, and it all pointed to one thing; her father was ill beyond words. Of course she needed to keep him in her line of sight - he needed someone to be there if something went wrong, and her mother was too busy trying to keep the facility in full working order. _

_She had no regrets about breaking out of school._

_'When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade: make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don't want your damn lemons, what am I supposed to do with these!' _

_Chell flinched at the sound of her father's fury, his voice returning to its former volume and strength, though for how long she could not be sure. There was one thing that she was sure of; he wasn't giving out angry advice to his staff, advising them to not take the worst that life can give you. He was shouting down every single person who had ever told him he was nothing, those who had belittled him. He was raging against those who had told him to just accept his illness. In short, he was shouting at everyone. Everyone, except Chell and her mother. _

_'Demand to see life's manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give Cave Johnson lemons! Do you know who I am?' The falter of his voice in the question - it was unmissable, and it scared Chell that the strength in his voice was giving out so quickly. 'I'm the man who's going to burn your house down! With the lemons! I'm going to get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon, that burns your house down!' _

_And then he started coughing, and Chell considered diving out of her hiding spot to help him as he lay his head down upon the table, trying in vain to catch his breath. But then his head snapped back up with an almost dizzying speed, and Chell was genuinely surprised that he had not hurt himself in the process. With a quick, shuddering breath away from the equipment, he continued, his voice weakened once again._

_'The point is, if we can store music on a compact disc, why can't we store a man's intelligence and personality on one? So I have the engineers figuring that out now.' _

_Chell froze, completely stupefied. Why did she suddenly have an uncomfortable churning in the pit of her stomach, and why was she so suddenly sure that she would not be fond of the next few words to escape her father's lips? _

_'Brain mapping. Artificial intelligence. We should have been working on it...' He thought, briefly. 'Thirty years ago. I will say this, and I'm going to say it on tape so everybody hears it a hundred times a day; if I die before you people can pour me into a computer...'_

'No. No, no, no...' _Chell knew it. She knew that she wouldn't like it. Her daddy just couldn't be a computer – he couldn't! She wouldn't let him do this!_

_'… I want Caroline to run this place.' He coughed again, forcing out yet more flecks of blood. 'Now she'll argue. She'll say she can't. She's modest like that, but you make her!' More coughing, more blood. 'Hell, put her in my computer, I don't care.' _

_Chell wanted to scream. This was all ludicrous, and now he had offered her mother to the engineers? Was he really so sick that he would do that? Why? What would it achieve? She needed to get out of here; her head had gone into overdrive, her thoughts clouded with various emotions that she had never felt for her father before; anger, fear, and loathing were the most obvious, but the one underlying and prevalent emotion was shame. She was ashamed of him, and if she stayed here then this feeling would only grow and grow. She needed... she needed..._

_Air. She needed air. And space. And the sky. She needed to be as far away from this place as she possibly could. She needed to be somewhere safe._

_'Alright, test's over. You can head on back to your desk.' _

_Now was her chance to make a break for it. To run, and run, and run... _

_If only she had left sooner, because her father would have been too busy to hear her scuffle to her feet. He wouldn't have turned to see her emerge from behind the filing cabinet and out of the room. _

_'Chell?' She heard him, but she didn't stop. Instead she flew down the walkway and into the waiting elevator, hammering the button to make the lift ascend. 'Chell! Kiddo, please... just hear me out a minute!' Chell turned around in time to see the shutters close her in, and beyond that her father. He looked mortified that she had overheard him. _

_'No.' She replied, as firm as could possibly be. And the lift carried her away, high above the ground of the Enrichment Centre and up towards the offices above. There were no labs near here, only offices, so that staff could return to their desks immediately after testing. Unless, of course, they were currently supposed to be doing some form of lab work. From here she made her way to the surface elevator, which took her the parking lot and the main foyer. Both overlooked the Academy from which Chell had escaped but an hour ago. _

_She should have stayed in school. _

_Darting past the security guards that gathered around her, Chell bounded through the numerous cars and aimed for the tree-strewn fields that lined the perimeters of the lot. Once in the trees she was able to loose the guards, making her way instead through a long golden field of wheat. So far, Chell had been unaware as to where it was that she was running, but as she saw the outline of the farmhouse grow in the distance she knew it was the only possible option. Of course her parents would come looking for her here, but if she hid... Well, Chell had always been the best at playing hide and seek. _

_There was a small opening in the foundations of the house that allowed her enough space to get inside, if she held her breath and did a lot of squirming. The sharp edges of the opening tore her skin and her skirt, and snagged at the wool of her jumper. At one point she thought that she were stuck, but managed to free herself and eventually made her way into the basement. She had just found the perfect box to hide inside, an old wooden container with a heavy lid and a few old holes that were perfect for letting her breath, concealed behind a mountain of other junk that had been discarded to the basement,when she heard a car pull up in the drive outside. _

_Chell froze, listening intently. Doors opened. Her mother spoke, calling out her name. At first, Chell considered going to her mother, to stop her from worrying about her, but then she heard her father's voice call for her too. She dived into the box instead, pulling the heavy lid over her._

_The darkness was all consuming. It was only the few holes that allowed a little light to shine through, but it kept her safely hidden from the world outside. From here she listened as her parents came down the basement stairs, searching behind every box for her. She did not even dare to breath when they came anywhere near her, fearing that a single exhalation would betray her location. Eventually they left, never suspecting that she had been hiding under their noses the entire time. _

_Chell felt terrible for inflicting this kind of pain on her mother – she hadn't been the one to drive Chell to this insanity in the first place. But her father? He deserved this. He deserved to worry. _

_For two days Chell hid in the farmhouse, making her way around the rooms above. The scars left by the gap had become infected, but she had nothing to heal them as her family always brought medical supplies with them on the weekends. She returned to the box to sleep, fearing that someone might find her in the night. Her parents returned several times, hoping that she may have turned up there. The police had even accompanied them twice. Yet she remained hidden, refusing to end the torment that she had created. _

_And then one night, Chell fell to sleep in the box as usual, counting the holes in the sides to help her sleep and wondering just what she and Wheatley could use it for. A fort, maybe? It was cold and hard, and very lonely, much like a real fort would probably feel like. When she later woke, she felt comfortable. Something was enveloping her in a warm embrace. She became aware of a breath that wasn't hers, and then of another, more ragged and uneven breathing behind her. Something stroked her hair and, in panic, her eyes snapped open to find her mother's tired face looking back at her. _

_'Shh,' she cooed as Chell's breathing became rapid, 'it's okay. It's okay.' _

_They were in her parent's farmhouse bedroom, laid out on the bed. Her mother lay before her, holding one of Chell's hands in her own, whilst using the other to gently stroke her hair. Someone else lay behind her, and had wrapped their arms around her in such a way that Chell could never hope to escape. And she knew exactly who it was. _

_Her father coughed into his pillow. He did not wake, but his grip on her tightened as he caught a shuddering breath into his lungs. _

_In a flash of fury, Chell angled her leg to kick him. But her mother caught her foot before she could even think about going through with the plan. 'No.' She whispered, a tone of anger coating the word. 'Do not kick your father.' _

_'Monster.'_

_'What?' Her mother looked so confused. Did she not know what had happened? Did Chell really have to tell her mother everything? It seemed so, and so she began with the speech in the observation room, and then her father's plan to be put into a computer, along with his back-up plan to put her mother in the computer instead. _

_'That... is why he a monster. Not my daddy... no more.' _

_'Chell?' Her father's voice sounded hoarse. _

_Chell froze. Had he really been awake this whole time? Had his coughing fit really woken him up after all? And why should she even care – he deserved to hear the truth. _

_'Chell, I...' His voice broke, defeated. 'Please, kiddo, I...'_

_'Let go.' _

_'Sweethea...'_

_'LET GO!' Chell screamed, as loud as she possibly could, making her mother flinch and her father loosen his grip. Diving from the bed and out of the room, Chell returned to the basement to find that the mountain of junk that had been protecting her box had been moved. The box itself now lay revealed, the lid removed and discarded to the floor. How had they found her? _

_Her mother's voice told her all that she needed to know. 'You were crying in your sleep, sweetheart. That's how we found you.' _

_Chell said nothing, choosing instead to gaze sullenly at her former hiding spot. _

_'Have you been here the entire time?'_

_She nodded. _

_'Oh, Michelle...' Her mother sighed, but for what reason Chell did not know. 'We've been worried sick! How could you just run away like that?'_

_'I t-told... why! You... com...comp...' _

_'Daddy was joking, Michelle! He doesn't want me to be put inside a computer!'_

_'Did not sound like a j-joke.'_

_'Michelle, daddy would never do that to me. It was a joke, and I know that. The Test Subject in the room probably didn't, but I'll reassure them myself if I have to.' _

_Chell snorted, crossing her arms across her chest. She became all too aware that this was something that her father did when he was angry, and so she quickly unfolded her arms. _

_'Anything could have happened to you. Something did happen to you – look at those scars! And you look famished! What happened?'_

_Chell shrugged, choosing not to answer._

_'You've got infected wounds, Michelle! They need to be cleaned. Soon!' _

_'No!' Chell screamed, turning on her mother. 'I doh... don't care!' _

_'Michelle! Get yourself up those stairs now!'_

_'No!' _

_'Why are you acting like this?'_

_''CAUSE IT MY FAULT!'_

_Chell had not meant to say that. She had meant to say it was because of her father, because he wanted to be a computer, because he had been cruel enough to joke about her mother being transformed into a computer. Why had she said that instead? But then the answer was obvious. Her father would not have decided on becoming a computer if she hadn't been the one to poison him. The computer business had just tipped her over the edge, and she was trying to find a scapegoat for the rage that she felt for herself. And that scapegoat had been her beloved daddy, the one who had protected her from the terrible fate that he now suffered. _

_She turned away from her mother and jumped into the box. There was no lid, but it made her feel a little safer. She had a space in which she could hide herself away, somewhere where she wouldn't be able to hurt people. _

Hurt people_. She had now not only hurt her father, in more ways than one, but she had hurt her mother too, by tormenting her for these past few days. Who else would she hurt? Wheatley? Aunt Sofia and Uncle Gregg? _

_Suddenly, she became all too aware that she was no longer wearing her Companion Cube charm. She must have torn it off in her anger and had never realised it. Oh God, what if she had lost it? _

_'M-my Cube... gone.' She choked, on the verge of tears. 'Lost it.' _

_'No you didn't, kiddo.' _

_Out of the corners of her blurred vision she could see her father's hands gently draping the charm back around her neck. He fastened it in place before moving into her line of sight, sitting on the edge of the box. Chell couldn't look at him, too ashamed as she was after everything she had done. 'We found it on the floor of the Enrichment Centre. Kept it with us since.' _

_Chell still couldn't look at him, even when her mother lifted her from the box and up the stairs to the living room. Chell simply flopped against her, resigned to fatigue and the burning sensation that had begun to prickle inside her. Her father followed them. He was wearing the same suit from two days ago. Her mother was wearing the same dress too. Had they even slept? Somehow she doubted it – the heavy bags under their eyes told her so. _

_She was carried upstairs to her parent's room, where her mother gently lay her down on the bed. Her parents looked at one another, and then at the multitude of scars left by her exploits in the opening. 'I'll have to go and get the stuff.' Her father whispered. 'We can't take her back in this state, it won't do her any good.' _

_Normally, Chell would have questioned the term "stuff", but right now she just could not find the energy to care. She only wanted her parents to be happy. If she had never been born, would they have been happy without her? What if they had had another child instead of her? She knew they would have been better – they wouldn't have run away, they wouldn't have failed at speech or writing, they wouldn't have poisoned daddy..._

_When she woke the sun was just about to rise. Birds sang beyond the window, and orange shadows were cast throughout the room. She was sat in her mother's lap, dressed in one of her thin nightgowns, whilst her father wiped a cloudy liquid into her now clean scars. With a vague sense of wonder, she watched through the slits of her drowsy eyelids as the scars simply vanished from her skin. _

_'She still got that fever?' Her father asked, taking particular care with one of the deeper gashes on her arm. Chell felt her mother gently press the back of her hand against her forehead. 'Yes. She's burning up, Cave. What do we do?' _

_'I honestly don't know.' He answered through a small cough, sounding utterly defeated. 'Clearly the infection's gone much deeper than the scars.' _

_'We have to take her to a hospital. Aperture's infirmary won't have any space left.'_

_'I don't care, Caroline. She's our daughter, she's getting in there whether the quacks like it or not!' He coughed again, leaning his head away from both wife and daughter. 'I don't care how many people need urgent skin grafts, Chell comes first.'_

_What had happened? Had something terrible happened in her absence? It sounded like it had. _

_'Mesa will be loving this.' Her father snarled as he tipped more of the strange concoction onto a cotton ball. 'Half of Aperture's warehouses go up in flames, just because some old Test Subject bears a grudge? They'll be laughing.'_

_'At least the fire didn't spread to the Borealis.'_

_'Yeah.' His answer was short and grim, as though his thoughts had clouded over with dark shadows. But then his voice softened as he began work on the scars of her hands. 'Oh God, if she'd been in there...' _

_'But she wasn't. She was here.'_

_'Yeah, all alone. Starving. Poor kid. I wish she hadn't overheard me.' _

_'We really should have told her sooner.' Her mother said in a soothing manner. 'But what's done is done. We've found her, and that's all that matters. Now we just need to get her to a doctor.' _

_'At Aperture.'_

_'At the nearest hospital, Cave.'_

_'Dammit, Caroline! I hire those guys for a reason!'_

_'I know – they're the best at what they do. But there's no room: we'll have to go to a hospital.' A hand was placed against her cheek. 'Cave, she's really burning up. We haven't got any other option.'_

_Chell no struggled to keep her eyes open. She knew that her father finished his work on her scars. She knew she was wrapped up gently in a blanket to protect her from the cool morning air. She knew that her father drove them to a hospital, whilst her mother sat with her on the backseat. She knew all of these things because she floated in and out of consciousness that often that she could put together a montage of her morning. She saw doctors and nurses, white washed walls, and caught the acrid stench of sterile cleanliness up her nose. She was prodded and poked, injected with a multitude of liquids, and had her temperature taken on more than one occasion. She even thought that she saw the blurred figure of a man watching her through the glass of a door. A man in a blue suit... A blue suit. Where had she seen a blue suit before? _

_For a while she could remember nothing. There was no montage of sights, sounds or smells. There was no confusion or fatigue. No Aperture fire. Her mother and father were gone. Then a light, too bright for her to feel comfortable to open her eyes. Instead she listened to the conversation happening above her. _

_'Why are you telling me to leave!'_

_'Please sir, I will call security...'_

_'Why?'_

_'Because you are being violent...'_

_'No, you idiot! Why are you trying to make me leave!'_

_'Because it's parents only, sir. No grandparents...'_

_'I'm her father, you stupid bastard!' _

_'Wow. Really?' _

_'Why you stupid, no-good excuse for a doctor... I've seen sub-species that are more useful than you! And I...' _

_Chell moaned, trying to get her father's attention. 'Da-ddy...'_

_'Chell?' His voice changed from loud and furious to quiet and calm at a breathtaking speed. She felt his hand gently rest against her head, his thumb stroking her temple. 'Chell, it's okay. I'm here. Shh. I'm here.' _

_'Daddy...' She wanted a hug. That was all she wanted. She wanted her daddy to give her a hug and to read her a story, and she wanted her mommy to kiss her and sing to her to sleep. A real sleep, not this drug-addled stupor that she had woken from, one that made her feel more tired than she should have been. She felt pathetic._

_Chell felt a kiss plant itself gently on her forehead. 'Shh, kiddo. Get some rest, okay?' _

_'Doh... lea...' She could barely get her words out, with each one dying into a breath. Yet somehow, her father knew what she was trying to ask. 'I won't leave you kiddo, not until mommy gets back from the cafeteria. She's bringing you some chocolate, isn't that great?'_

_The doctor cleared his throat. 'Actually, Mr Johnson, the worst thing for her right now is choc...'_

_'Shut it, you!' But shouting only made him cough, and clearly the doctor had seen the blood that he always managed to catch in his hand. _

_'Sir, you're coughing up bloo...'_

_'I said shut it!'_

_'But...'_

_'No! I have doctors – real doctors – who have been looking after me at my facility! I don't need your incapability!' _

_The doctor, it seemed, suddenly realised just who he was speaking to. 'You're not... Cave Johnson?'_

_'Congratulations. Your I.Q is better than that of plankton. Get you and your sorry ass out of here! And while you're at it, I'd say you can take that phony medical degree down from your wall because I'll be talking to your manager, pal!' _

_Chell phased out once again, managing to hold her father's hand before she fell back to sleep. When she next woke it was her mother who sat in her father's place. 'How are you feeling, sweetheart?' _

_She felt better. She definitely wasn't groggy anymore, but she was tired. She ached all over, and she was so beyond hungry that even her stomach had decided to give up on telling her just how famished she was. And so Chell nodded. 'Feel okay.' _

_'Oh, thank God. You had us both worried, sweetheart.' _

_They sat in silence for a long period of time, and her mother slowly fed her the chocolate that had been expressly forbidden by the doctor. When Chell was half-way through the bar, she asked where her father was. 'He had to go back to Aperture, sweetheart. There was an... incident.'_

_'Fire?'_

_Her mother simply blinked. 'You heard us, didn't you?'_

_Chell replied with a curt nod. _

_'Yes. It's the fire. Daddy has to try and fix the problem, but he'll be back later.'_

_'Are p-peep-al okay?' She could already tell what the answer was, just by looking at the expression on her mother's face. 'How many?'_

_'Eleven people, sweetheart. All gone to Heaven now. And there are others who are badly hurt, so we need to be strong and pray for them.' _

_'And strong for daddy.'_

_Her mother smiled. 'And for daddy.' _

_Hours passed in which her mother was constantly pushed out of the room so the doctor's could prod and poke at Chell some more, but towards the end of the day her mother returned with her father in tow. She could tell that his smile was forced, but she appreciated it none the less. 'Hey, kiddo. How are you feeling now?'_

_'Better. Go home?' _

_'Yeah, we're going home tonight, sweetheart. I promise.' _

_And they did. Not to Aperture, but to the farmhouse. The doctors had tried to stop them taking Chell, but nobody stopped Cave Johnson. Not when another doctor had been accused of misconduct by the same scientific mogul._

_Once they were back at the farmhouse, Chell was wrapped up in the thickest and most fluffy blankets she had ever seen. Her mother got her to eat as much as she could, whilst her father made her a hot chocolate – one of Chell's favourites, and the one thing that she simply refused if anyone other than her father created it, just like her mother's cakes; no one could bake a cake like her mom. After they had got food and drink into her system, Chell was put to bed and guarded by her parents, who took turns to stay awake and watch her just in case she had a relapse into the fever._

_Chell had woken once to find her mother holding tightly onto her hand, but this period of wakefulness was short lived. When she next woke she found that it was her father who now took his place by her side. She sneezed, alerting her father to her sleepy, but awake, state. 'Bless you.' He said, rearranging the blankets that had moved out of place when she sneezed. Chell curled into them, trying to find a little extra warmth and somehow managed to find her father's hand as well. When her father returned the gentle grip on her fingers his face curled into a look of suppressed concern. _

_'You're a little cold, kiddo. I'll get you another blanket.'_

_'No. Stay.'_

_He did as she asked, but tucked the sheets under her in a matter of compensation. 'There. Any better?'_

_Chell nodded. It was a lie, but it made him relax just enough for his facial muscles to ease back into their regular state. _

_They sat in silence, while Chell tried desperately hard to not shake. Her father simply held her hand in his. He coughed at regular intervals, but hid the flecks of blood with his tissue in the hopes that Chell would not notice. It was too late for that – she had noticed it a long time ago. _

_She wanted to sleep, but there was a pressing issue that now weighed heavily on her mind, and which prevented any form of sleep whilst it remained unresolved. She had been too ill or too preoccupied for it to have bothered her before, but now that she knew her mother was not going to become a computer, and that the worst of her fever had passed, the issue of her father becoming a machine plagued her mind with worried thoughts. _

_'Daddy,' she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her, 'do not be a com... ter.'_

_He could only stare at her in sympathy. 'Chell, I have to.'_

_'Please.' _

_'It's the only way that I can stay around, Chell.' _

_'But med...sen.' _

_'Chell, kiddo, I... I need to talk to you.' _

_Why? Was she in trouble? It wouldn't have surprised her, given the circumstances. _

_'I... I...' He seemed to be struggling for words. Gulping down the lump in his throat he continued. 'Chell, I'm not going to be around forever. In fact, well, not for much longer.'_

_'Daddy?' Chell already knew what he was trying to say, and she shook her head in disbelief. He knew that she had already figured it out, her burgeoning tears told him that, and so he lay down next to her, pulling her into a hug. _

_'This is why I've got to do this, sweetheart. If I don't, I won't be around anymore. And I don't want to leave you and mommy here alone. I can't leave you.' _

_Chell could say nothing. Even her tears were close to silence. Instead she sobbed into his shirt, refusing to let him go just in case he vanished into thin air. She heard him coo to her, she felt the kiss that he gently lay on her forehead, but neither of these quelled her distress. 'Do not die, daddy. Please...'_

_'Hey now. Shh.' He whispered, starting a rocking motion to help lull Chell into some kind of peace. 'It's okay. I'll still be here...'_

_'W-what if not?' _

_He thought for a moment, though the rocking motion continued. When he spoke, it was with a great amount of determination. 'If it doesn't work, if something goes wrong, I need you to be strong. You need to be strong, Chell. Like metal. Like... like...titanium. You need to be like titanium. Mommy will need you, and you will need mommy. Don't loose each other. And remember: titanium.' _

_'Ti...tay... nee... um.' She tested the word through her sobs. She rather liked the term. _

_'Yeah. Titanium.' He smiled. 'But for now we'll keep going until my plan works. I'll make sure that it does, so I'll still be here for both of you.' _

_'No lemons?'_

_'No.' He chuckled, something that put Chell at ease. If he was so confident that he would survive, then Chell could see no reason to argue with him. 'No lemons. What will we do with the lemons?' _

_'Throw them back at l-life!' _

_'Yeah we will!' His enthusiasm earned him a coughing fit, and Chell clung onto his shirt until it was over. He fought for breath, and Chell fell into silence so that he would too. Once he had relaxed, Chell asked him just who the Test Subject had been on the day of his recording – she would find out for her mother, so that she could put them straight. Chell was horrified to learn that the Test Subject had been Lucian Johnson, and this fresh horror forced her into silence._

_Silence led to drowsiness, and drowsiness led to her eyelids growing heavy. Eventually, she forgot to care about Lucian Johnson. Instead she thought about the lemons that life had given to her daddy, and she decided that they would throw the lemons - in all their flaming glory - into life's back yard. Together. _

_As she fell into a comfortable sleep, Chell heard her father's voice next to her, repeating the words that her mother so often sang to her at night. He was actually singing for her. 'Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see...' But then his voice broke off into his regular speaking tone. 'Well, if we could see into the future, that would be witchcraft. And I'll have none of that paranormal bullcrap...'_

_'Daddy.'_

_'Right. Sorry.' He gave her a gentle squeeze. Chell tried to burn the memory of the sensation into her brain – he wouldn't be able to do this when he was a computer. He wouldn't be able to do a lot of things when he was a computer. But, she supposed, with a bitter sense of resignation, that to become a computer was her father's only chance to survive. She would just have to become accustomed to it. Above her, her father's voice sang once again. 'Que Sera Sera, whatever will be, will be. The future's not ours to see. Que Sera Sera: what will be, will be.'_

_It wasn't long until Chell fell to sleep, plagued with dreams in which her mother was throwing flaming lemons at Lucian Johnson's head, and behind them there was a great, vast computer that spoke with her father's voice..._

_Her father's voice..._

'Chell!' She had to think. Was that her father? Had the upload been successful? No, it hadn't. It had never happened. She would have remembered if it had. It was just a memory, and the voice was fading in and out of existence all too quickly for her to be sure if it even was her father. 'Wa... ke up, kid... You... ne... get... here.'

Colours swam as she opened her eyes. Lights blurred into one, collective source of illumination.

'Che... ll! Get... now..!'

She felt a hand rub gingerly at her aching temples, and with a slow and addled process of elimination, she came to the realisation that the hand was her own. But gone were the bandages that she wore around her wrists and hands. Gone, too, were her Long Fall Boots. Her hair was no longer in a ponytail as it lay freely around her shoulders. And Wheatley... Wheatley...

_'Wheatley!'_

She sat up all too quickly. The sensation of vomit rising in her throat was immediate, and she instinctively moved to the side so that she hacked up the bile onto the floor, rather than herself. Her throat stung and her eyes watered as each new wave of rising fluids forced her body into a tighter ball, trying in vain to make the stomach cramps end. Her hand slipped, and she almost fell with it from the mattress that she had been laid upon.

A mattress. Why was there a mattress? And why was she a bright orange? The fabric that she wore was all too familiar, like the touch of an old friend. As her vision cleared, and she wiped the tears from her eyes, she could see why. She was in a jumpsuit. An Aperture jumpsuit. And the white walls that surrounded her, filled with the pungent smell of surgical spirit and adorned with a framed painting or two, were the walls of a private Aperture medical bay. The logo imprinted into the bedside table beside her confirmed her suspicions. She was home.

But how?

She remembered walking. The rain. The field. Something about her mother and Companion Cubes. And then nothing. Now she was in Aperture. Had Wheatley brought her here? If so, then where was he? She had to find him. She had to see him.

She had to make sure that he was safe.

Carefully, Chell swung her legs over the side of the bed that did not have a pile of vomit upon the floor, and stopped when her naked feet touched the linoleum. She had to breathe before she could do anything else, and there was an odd prickling sensation at the base of her skull that she found to be deeply unsettling. She ran her fingers across the surface, finding an odd scar beneath her fingertips. _'What in Hell is that?' _She wondered, taking her fingers away to check for blood. They were bone dry.

With deep breaths Chell took her first few unsteady steps towards the door, feeling her sense of unease grow. Her gut told her that there was something amiss, but she could not be sure just what this was. Why had she heard someone who had sounded exactly like her father? What had happened to the back of her head? And where was Wheatley?

Chell began to panic.

And then she heard her father again, but this time in memory. _'And remember: titanium.'_ Titanium. How could she have ever forgotten that he had told her to be like that particular metal? Yes. She was titanium. She was, as her mother had called her, a bird. She was a titanium magpie; one of a kind, and more than capable of survival.

She could do this.

With forced steps she reached the door, her hand fumbling with the handle until she was able to pull the door ajar. Slipping out into the corridor beyond, she cast her eyes left and right, searching for any sign of him. There was no one. Not even the cameras twitched as she emerged.

Cameras. GLaDOS. _'Oh God.' _Her mother was still trapped within that monster! Could she see her now, even without the cameras that could, to all intents and purposes, be playing dead? Was GLaDOS plotting some terrible scheme right now, with her mother powerless to do anything about it? It wouldn't have surprised her – GLaDOS was nothing if not deceitful. Chell knew that she would just have to be careful, to not do anything that would antagonise the insane computer until she knew how to rescue her mother.

And she still had to find Wheatley. Hopefully, this task would not be too daunting. She would make sure that she would find him, even if she had to search the entire facility to do it, and to do so she would start with this corridor and the adjoining rooms.

As luck would have it, she found him in the room two doors down from hers. Chell was relieved, if not a little disappointed that she did not have to search the facility for very long. It seemed as though GLaDOS were loosing her touch.

Wheatley too had been adorned in an orange jumpsuit. His wounds had been cleaned, as had his hair. The scruffy beard had even been shaved away. With a deep sense of curiosity, Chell looked at her own reflection in the sole mirror in the room. She had been cleaned up too. Her hair was soft and shiny. Her bushy eyebrows had been neatly plucked. And, like Wheatley, any trace of blood had been cleaned away. The scars, however, remained, and Chell could not fail to notice the large scar on the back of Wheatley's leg. It had obviously been a terrible gash, and she didn't want to think about what could have done it. Instead she searched the base of his skull for a similar scar to hers and, sure enough, she found it. It was messy and uneven, as though the healing process had been rushed, but why was it there in the first place, and why did they both have it?

There was something terribly wrong here, and the sooner they found out the better.

She needed to wake Wheatley. Giving him a gentle shake did nothing. In frustration, she tried a little harder. His only reaction was one loud snore and then silence. Chell would have screamed if she could, but only a small squeak escaped her lips. She froze. _A squeak._

She had made a sound with her long dead vocal chords. She tried again, achieving the same result. Actually, it was less of a squeak and more of a chirp. It was a happy sound.

Again and again she repeated the noise, shaking Wheatley until he woke. He moaned, sitting up slowly. Chell passed him his glasses from the bedside table, and he put them on with a small thank you. For a while he blinked, oblivious to the sounds that escaped Chell's lips. But then he heard them and stared at her in wide-eyed wonder. 'You... do that again.'

Chell happily obliged.

'That... that's amazing.' His smile was as bright as hers. 'But how?'

Chell could only shrug, rolling her eyes to accentuate her lack of knowledge.

'Well, I think it's bloody amazing. Seriously.' He slowly got to his feet, turning suddenly green. Chell took a step towards him, ready to offer support if he too gave into the urge to vomit. Wheatley, however, managed to keep his bile at bay, though it was clearly a less than pleasant experience. 'Let's just go and see what we can see.' He said flatly, his skin still tainted green.

Chell led the way, walking slowly to accommodate Wheatley's weakened legs. Occasionally he looked down to his scarred leg, his eye twitching with the memory of whatever it was that created it. Eventually Chell caught his eye, and he answered the question that she wanted to ask. 'Antlions,' he replied, 'there were loads of the bloody things in the field.'

Chell nodded, before circling her hand in mid-air, prompting him to continue.

'Er, well... you kind of passed out. So I carried you. Good thing you're so tiny, really, otherwise we'd have been a big bug buffet.'

Chell smiled and patted Wheatley on the back as a thank you. He understood the gesture by now. 'It's alright. I'm just glad we're alive, to be completely honest.'

They left the medical bay and continued on down the corridors until they came to the walkways. Below them all was darkness, apart from the few lights of further walkways, and the illuminating glow that seeped out of the windows of fully lit offices and labs.

Suddenly Chell felt at ease. The familiar tang of ozone, the faint hum of working machinery and the echoing expanse of space assured her that not much had changed since she had left. If only there had been the added smell of the salt mines, but they were too high up for that. _'Well, you can't have everything.'_

As they continued along their path, leaving the walkway to enter a brightly lit corridor, Chell felt a slight tingling at her skin, like static electricity was playing at the delicate and unseen hairs of her arms. Yet, determined to ignore it, she continued to create sounds using her vocal chords with gusto, something that told Wheatley that she was clearly trying to make a new sound. Her mouth moved in strange and alien ways, trying to form words. Yet, for all her hard work, she still could only produce a squeaking chirp.

'I'd say take it slow,' Wheatley began, grinning from ear to ear, 'but I have the feeling you'd just ignore my advice anyway.'

Chell shot him a knowing glance, but she grinned none the less and continued with her production of sound.

'Like I said: won't listen.'

A cool, multi-tonal voice spoke out above them, shocking Wheatley into stillness and causing Chell to pull both herself and Wheatley to the side of the corridor and into an alcove. _Welcome back, Mr Morrison. It is good to see you again. However, I must extend a most warming welcome to Miss Johnson. Welcome home. Please, come out of hiding. I mean you no harm. _

Chell didn't like how this voice lingered on the word "harm", but Wheatley seemed extremely happy to hear whoever it was who spoke in such a unique way.

'It's okay,' he said, pulling away from the alcove, 'it's Prometheus.'

Prometheus. So, this was the one who had pulled Wheatley back from space? She supposed that she should thank him, but there something about his tone that made her stomach churn in a warning gesture. Somehow he must have seen the look of distrust on her face. _Please, Miss Johnson. I wish only to help you – you are the future, and the future starts with you. _


	36. Static

Chapter Thirty-Five

Static

"_You are the future, and the future starts with you." _

Chell heard these words repeat inside her head as she and Wheatley ate silently at the dinner table, just one part of their new living quarters that had been supplied by Prometheus. She knew she had heard these words somewhere else before, in a place were she had questioned them. And then she remembered. It was when Wheatley, as a Core, had woken her from stasis. The labs were in ruins, as were the Test Chambers. Yet the mainframe and the announcement systems were still operational. In one Chamber, she had heard the announcement system declare that "testing is the future; and the future starts with you." For some unseen reason, Chell believed that this hadn't been the announcement system norm. After all, in all of Aperture's history, Test Subjects had been but a means to an end, and not all that important. Nothing about them had really mattered. Something had clearly altered the announcement system's script, and that something, she now suspected, was Prometheus.

Chell had thought about trying to reach Sii-Hya through the vortessence, to ask him for his opinion. She trusted Wheatley, yes, but his unshakable trust in this Prometheus was unnerving. If she tried to communicate her feelings with him, he may tell the being something by accident, or Prometheus would most likely be able to read and interpret her actions for himself. But was this really an issue she had to take up with Sii-Hya? Was he even alive?

And, most importantly, where was her mother, and where was GLaDOS?

Wheatley, of course, was unconcerned by the absence of both. He was simply enjoying the fact that they now had food that actually tasted of something, and that there were no headcrabs, no antlions and no Combine forces descending upon them. He was as happy as happy could be. He had no reason to worry – he knew that his father was safe, somewhere, and now he too felt safe himself. Chell, however, knew that GLaDOS should have been waiting to make a snide comment or two, just to amuse herself. She also knew that her mother should have been waiting for her, to smother her with some much needed motherly love and affection.

Pretending to take her time over a mouthful of synthetic lamb stew, Chell turned her attention to the force known as the vortessence. Sii-Hya said she would know how to reach it when the time came, and she sincerely hoped that this time was now.

She thought, hard, on trying to send her thoughts out to wherever Sii-Hya could be, but instantly knew that it was a mistake. If there really was a vortessence, then this was the wrong way to contact someone through it. It just felt... wrong. It was almost as though there was someone watching her fail at this attempt at a connection. And Chell hated it.

'Chell? You okay?' Wheatley asked through a mouthful of food. 'You look troubled.'

_'You're just getting that, yeah?'_ She thought bitterly, pushing her plate aside. Suddenly she wasn't very hungry, and seeing as though the synthetic lamb was nothing special she decided to get up and go for a walk. A walk to try and find her gun. Chell had noticed the increase in the amount of security bots, and since she and they were not on first name terms she had already decided that she needed some form of protection.

But there was another reason why she wanted to go for a walk; she wanted to see if she could find a safe route to the central core chamber. She needed to check on her mother – if she didn't then this sense of unease would never go away.

'Where are you going? Chell?' Wheatley had begun to push himself from his seat, but Prometheus stopped him. _Do not worry, Mr Morrison. I shall keep an eye on her._

_'Great.'_ Chell thought, snarling internally so that it did not show on her face. _'I have a stalker. That's all I need.'_

As Chell made her way down the endless corridors, acting like an innocent woman just taking a stroll, she sensed a static in the air. She had felt it numerous times before, during her previous adventures in Aperture. She had even felt it, very briefly, as a child after her father had died. At the time she had all but ignored it, but now she realised that it was not just a stationary static - it followed her, travelling through every computerised wire, board and circuit. It was in every machine. It could literally follow her anywhere. It was almost as though it were walking right beside her, as an unseen other, and most definitely not as a guardian. The static was just too oppressive for that.

It also had a voice. _Where are you going, Miss Johnson? _

It seemed that Prometheus was mobile.

Chell shrugged, feigning ignorance. Yet the insides of her brain were working at a maddening speed to find a new and brilliant plan, and this must have shown on her face – a lapse in her own self-control, and one that she dearly regretted.

_Mr Morrison was right. You do look troubled, Miss Johnson. Would you like to rest? _

Chell shook her head.

_Would you like to share your troubles? I assure you, I will be able to understand anything that you do or write._

She shook her head again, this time more ferociously than before. Though his manner seemed friendly enough, she saw through the act to the underlying threat beneath: _'I am watching you.'_ That was what he was really saying. _'I am watching you, and whatever you do, I will know what you are really up to. I know what you're trying to do right now.' _

Well, if that was how he wanted to play it then Chell would oblige him. She turned to the static sensation, now travelling along some high-speed cables, and gave it a dark glance.

_There is no need for such a judgemental attitude. I am only trying to assist you._

So, she had been right. That static was Prometheus, or at least an extension of him. Good. Now she had something to work with.

She let him see the smirk that spread across her features. It would serve as a warning to him that he was messing with the wrong woman. Nobody played games with Chell Johnson and wanted to tell the the tale afterwards.

_'I'm coming, mom. Just give me a little more time.'_

Chell rounded a corner, and the static travelled over her head, through a wire and into the cables of a management rail. _I am sure that you do not need directions, but I will gladly assist you in finding a quick route to your chosen location. _

_'I'm sure you could.' _Chell thought with an internal chuckle. _'But I'm not telling you anything. I'll see how fast you can think. Where do you think I'm going, hm?' _

Prometheus, oblivious to her thoughts, continued to travel above her head. _If you would like to see the labs, then a faster route is down to the left. However, if you are heading for the central core chamber -_

Chell forced her face to remain impassive, and nonchalantly looked up at the ceiling where she could see Aperture's logo proudly emblazoned for the whole massive and open room to see.

_- then I regret to inform you that it is currently closed, even to someone of your rank. The Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System is undergoing routine maintenance, and shall be down for some time._

_'And you don't seriously expect me to believe that, do you? No, of course you don't – GLaDOS does her own maintenance, and that doesn't involve a shut down. You did it, I just know you did, and now you're openly mocking me about it.' _

Chell chose to ignore Prometheus' comments for the remainder of her journey. When she returned to find Wheatley still sat at the dinner table (this time with a plate loaded with beef, vegetables and gravy – all synthetic, of course), she knew that she had enough information to help her in her efforts to break into the central core chamber. Her gun was now a secondary priority, and really, it had been this whole time.

She made a mental list of what she knew about Prometheus thus far, dissecting as much of him as she could in a way that only a scientist could;

_ Analysis: _

_He can travel. He is not a stationary being. He travels in a form of static, through Aperture's systems. He may have more than one static form. He may be able to create infinite static forms. His mobility makes him dangerous._

_He does not use cameras. GLaDOS' cameras are down, yet he can still see me. It is the static form that sees me. _

_The static form has his voice. It is able to see and interact with objects in a human-like manner. Therefore the static is exceedingly dangerous – it is Prometheus in mobile form. _

_He possibly has a more corporeal form. Somewhere from which he can monitor his static forms. I am unsure as to how these static forms operate and sustain themselves, nor am I aware as to how they operate like a real being. This may become a possible investigation depending on time constraints._

_His name is Prometheus. The possible meaning is not lost to me. I know the Prometheus of legend was a thief. He could be a programme designed by an external force to steal vital Aperture information. He could, in all actuality, be Aperture technology, and this eludes to some possible design of GLaDOS' creation, much like the Cooperative Testing Initiative._

_He is as powerful as GLaDOS, if not more so. He can sustain Aperture without her input. Everything in Aperture is now a potential threat._

_Conclusion: **Eliminate the static, and I blind and deafen him for an unseen period of time.**_

Now all Chell had to do was to find a way of nullifying his form. There were several ways, she already knew that – She could increase the humidity in the facility, as static operates more efficiently in areas of low humidity. She could cancel out the electrons protecting the nuclei of of the static form, therefore rendering it useless... but any method that she could choose to use would not go unnoticed by Prometheus.

A little bit of espionage was needed here, and she was afraid that it would have to involve Wheatley. Her unwitting pawn. Her Companion Cube whom she had to throw into the incinerator. Could she really do that to him? No, was the simple answer. GLaDOS would have had no difficulty in doing so, and neither would her father. She was weak, deluded that she could ever make this work. She...

_'No. I'm not weak. I'm not deluded.'_ She thought, as she lay on the bed which had been assigned to her. She was very aware of the tingle of static in the air. _'I'm thinking like my mom. She wouldn't sacrifice someone. She'd work around it.' _Chell breathed deeply, taking in a ragged breath that most surely would not have gone unnoticed by her new found stalker. _'I always wanted to be more like mom. Well, now's my chance. I just need a plan that doesn't involve Wheatley becoming hurt. Or worse.' _

She would simply have to keep him out of the way. Away from trouble. She would send him on an errand, a task that would undoubtedly turn Prometheus' attention towards him in some small way, but perhaps that would be enough to give her some time to work with. So, Wheatley would be safe, and Prometheus, hopefully, would be distracted. _'Good, I have a plan to get Wheatley out of the way. Now I just need to figure out my current stalker problem.'_

He was watching her. The static had not left her since she had walked away from dinner this afternoon. Two days since they had awoken, and she was already beginning to feel like a prisoner. If it were a choice between the company of GLaDOS or Prometheus for the rest of her days, then she would have chosen GLaDOS each time, because her mother was in there, somewhere. Besides, hadn't Wheatley said "better the devil you know, then the devil you don't?", and she most certainly did not understand Prometheus' motivation.

At least GLaDOS only wanted you to test for her, day in and day out. Chell could live with that. In fact, she had rather missed the testing. It would be nice to get inside the Enrichment Centre again and...

The Enrichment Centre. Of course! How could she be so blind? She knew how the Centre operated; she had grown up and watched it evolve into what it was today! No one but GLaDOS, her mother and herself knew those Test Chambers like the backs of their hands, metaphorical or otherwise, and there was nothing better than a home-team advantage.

The Enrichment Centre had an effective sprinkler system in the case of a fire, as did the whole facility for that matter (something that had, inevitably, come about as a result of the arson attack). If they went off, then every other sprinkler in the facility would also be activated. The humidity would rise rapidly, helping to dumb Prometheus down, if not cancel out his static form completely. She would have to move fast though, just in case he did have a more stationary, more powerful form somewhere within the facility. A form that allowed him to control the sprinklers and the humidity systems...

That was it. She actually had a plan. For once in her life she had a plan, and it was a plan that allowed for a little improvisation, should she need it. It was a brilliant plan. She only hoped that Prometheus did not scupper it before she had the chance to convince him into letting her into the Centre. She would have to behave for a few days, but remain her usual, rebellious self in the process. She didn't want him to realise that she was up to something.

_'Think fast, act fast. Do as little as you can to arouse suspicion.' _She told herself as she lay down and pretended to go to sleep. She couldn't sleep with Prometheus so close by – he could have done anything. No, she would have a nap later, when Wheatley was awake.

It would have to be a damn good nap to make up for eight hours of lost sleep.

She met Wheatley in the morning. He looked well-rested, and was happily chattering away to himself in absent-minded thought. Chell smirked, sneaking up behind him. One tap of his shoulder was enough to send him jumping high from the floor, and Chell shook with almost silent giggles.

'Wait I..! Oh,' He turned, finding Chell behind him, 'thank God. I thought the Combine had got in, for a minute there.'

Chell replied with a small shake of her head before making her way to the dining table. A large breakfast of greenhouse grown fruits, seeds and nuts lay piled in bowls, accompanied by synthetic yoghurt. Chell sat down and immediately began to pile strawberry's into an empty dish. Wheatley took a seat beside her, watching as she sprinkled the strawberries with seeds and a large dollop of yoghurt. 'Yuck,' he crinkled his nose, 'rabbit food. Where's the toast?'

Chell rolled her eyes as she took her first mouthful. She enjoyed the simple meal, but made a point of letting this state of pleasure spread across her face. She would do anything to stay on Prometheus' good side right now, as long as it led her down the path to victory.

Once breakfast was over, and Wheatley had sat down to read a book, Chell found a quiet corner in which she could take a nap. She kept Wheatley in her line of sight which, given his current state of inactivity, was incredibly easy. Closing her eyes she fell into a state of blissful ignorance and slumber.

Yet, only an hour later, she was woken by the sound of an inane series of babbles and chirps, and of a cold metal palm gently shaking her awake. Chell opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the light of a bright blue optic.

With a squeak she kicked out, sending the robot flying into the nearest wall. Behind them was a second robot, one with a burning orange optic, and she lashed out at them too. It was only Wheatley's firm grip that stopped her from inflicting greater damage upon them. 'Whoa, Chell! It's okay! It's Blue and Orange! They won't hurt you.' His words calmed her. 'They won't hurt you, I promise.'

As Chell stood up straight she carefully examined the robots, assessing the damage that she had done. She was surprised to find that she had done very little. In fact, it looked as though she had not touched them at all.

The robots, to their credit, did not bear a grudge. In fact, they seemed used to it. It made sense, considering this was GLaDOS' Cooperative Testing Initiative, and Chell made a mental note to avoid hurting them both in the future – her gut instinct only gave her a positive feeling towards the two of them. She knew they could be trusted.

It was just a shame the same could not be said for the multitude of security bots that wandered the hallways. They would make her life so much more difficult once she was able to implement her plan. The way that they stared at her made Chell's blood run cold. It was the same emotionless gaze that had been there when her mother had been led to her technological Hell. It was the same gaze that had seen her drugged before being shipped off to an orphanage. It was the same gaze that had seen her put into stasis as a Test Subject upon her return, because Lucian Johnson had commanded it.

And now Prometheus was in charge of them. The "joys" of her life did not cease to end.

"_Beware of this being, Michelle Johnson. One personality wishes to bring you nothing but great harm; we can sense it's malevolent intent."_ They had been Sii-Hya's exact words. Nothing but harm. As if she had expected any different.

"_The second personality wishes you no harm. They want to guide you, to advise and protect you. Unlike the first personality, this one cares for you."_ These words intrigued her, purely because, thus far, she had seen no evidence of any kind of care. Perhaps, just for once, Sii-Hya had been wrong? After all, everybody made mistakes, simply because everybody had the capacity to do so.

Chell yawned, feeling a mounting pressure build behind her eyes that, eventually, burrowed deeper into her skull. She was tired. No, she was beyond tired. What Chell needed was a very long and peaceful sleep. But she dare not sleep alone in her room, and now Wheatley was too busy playing three-way Tic-Tac-Toe (an interesting concept) with Atlas and P-Body. If she fell asleep now, with those three pre-occupied, then Prometheus could have done anything to her, and that thought terrified her.

She forced her eyes back opened as they closed, repeating this same action in a constant battle against tiredness. If only she were confidant enough to rest her eyes and know that she would not fall asleep. In the end she got to her feet and left the room. A walk would do her good. It may even help to wake her up, if only for a short period of time.

Almost immediately she felt the static tingle at her skin. _I would advise rest, Miss Johnson. _

_'I would advise you to kiss my ass.' _

_Miss Johnson, if you continue in such a manner then you shall only bring harm to yourself. You must rest. Please, return to your room. _

_'No.'_

Chell continued, heading in the general direction of one of the biochemistry labs. The static remained with her as a constant reminder that she could do nothing without Prometheus knowing about it. She was just about to consider doubling back, to return to where Wheatley sat with his two robot friends, when the static changed. An odd feeling of calm washed over her as the oppressive tingle vanished, leaving behind just empty static.

_Third door on the left. Don't question it. _It was Prometheus that spoke, but the tone of control had vanished. Now he sounded as though he were worried about something. He was worried about her.

Chell considered that it was a trap, and she walked straight passed the door that Prometheus had pointed out to her. _The door. Open it. _

There was something almost reassuringly familiar in his tone. Something that Chell quickly latched onto, but her reasons why were unclear. Before she could even think about what she was doing, she opened the door and stepped into the small office beyond.

The room was a box, with nothing but the corridor outside to connect it to the rest of the facility, and the required air vent close to the ceiling.

The static had settled inside a tangle of wires that lay in a mess upon a table. _Through that vent is a small room, and one of the few to have any kind of mainframe connection running through it. You'll be fine in there. He won't be able to get you._

Chell turned to face the static with a questioning glance.

_I know you don't trust me, and I am glad that you don't. But you are tired, Chell. I know you didn't sleep last night, and so does he. _

Whirling around, Chell located a whiteboard and a pen. In a flourish, she had scrawled down equations that, to most, would have meant nothing. She suspected, however, that Prometheus understood them. She didn't know why; it was just a hunch, one brought about by his change in tone. She just needed to be sure.

Stepping away from the board, she turned back to the invisible static and allowed him to read her words: _**Can you read this?**_

_Yes. And so can he, before you ask._

Chell returned to the board, rubbing out her previous words so that she could replace them with new ones. _**So you're not the better half of Prometheus' personality? **_

_No. He deleted that part of himself before you came back. _

_**And you're not going to question how I know about his dual personality?**_

_No, because he downloaded your brain scans when both you and Wheatley returned. We've both seen the conversation you had with that alien. You obviously wanted to know what the scar in your neck was and now you know. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him. He didn't even have the dignity to reseal the wound so that it wouldn't scar._

Chell's writing was a mess now, as furious as she was to discover that her mind had been violated. When she moved away from the board, she slammed her fist into it through sheer frustration. _**How much have you seen? **_

_Everything._

Chell couldn't believe this. Prometheus, and whoever this new being was, had her whole life was at their disposal. Now even they knew the Enrichment Centre like she did. They would figure out what she was up to before she had the chance to even begin.

_Chell? Are you okay? _

Her hand went to work again. _**Don't call me Chell. Only my family and my friends are allowed to call me Chell.**_

There was a pregnant pause, but eventually the being replied. _I can't agree to that. I just can't. _

_**Fine, but I want to know who you are, if you're not Prometheus. And how has he not cottoned on to your little plan of getting me in here? **_

_It's me, Chell. _

There was a long pause in which the being did not speak and in which Chell did not write.

_It's me. It's Zeus. _

Chell almost dropped the pen.

_Prometheus has had me under lock and key for a while now, but I've been building up a control system right under his nose, using his methods. I can cancel him out for about ten minutes, and use his power for myself. I don't think he's noticed anything. If he has, he hasn't done anything about it. Hey, where the Hell are you going? _

Chell had turned on her heel, ready to leave the room in fury. Zeus was the last person that she wanted to to speak to. After all, whether directly or indirectly, he had helped to lead to her capture as a child. Her hand had only just rested on the handle when Zeus cried out; _I know where your mom is! _

That stopped her in her tracks.

_I know. She's being kept in a room with some of the faulty Personality Cores. There's another Core, Tantalus, who Prometheus has charged with keeping an eye on them. _

Chell strode to the board, pen scribbling out her one word question. _**Where? **_

_In the old facility. The 80s section, anyway. But you need to wake GLaDOS to do it. _

_**Why?**_

_Because she was smart. She re-routed the control of all the older facilities to herself, and herself alone. And the Enrichment Centre too. She suspected that he'd take power from her, and she was determined to keep control over something, even when she was deactivated. It wasn't for any practical reason – she just wanted to spite him. He didn't realise that she was doing this because she never actively thought about it. She just laid out small, unnoticeable commands. Now Prometheus and me, we can't touch them. He was furious when he realised what she had done. She is brilliant, that one. Then again, considering she's based on your mom, well... _His voice faded out into a crackle, leaving Chell curious as to what he had been trying to say.

_Never mind that now._ He spoke again, more to himself than to Chell. _ I know you have a plan. He knows it too. Keep it to yourself and stay safe, Chell. I mean it. _

_**Why in Hell would I not be safe? Why would I make my intentions known? Do you think I'm stupid! **_

_No, I know you're not. You're the smartest person I know. I just want you to be careful. He knows what you are fully capable of – he's seen you take down the aliens up there, by yourself and with Wheatley. Before he saw that he thought that you'd be easy to work with, but now he sees you as a threat. Please promise me that you'll be careful. _

_**I don't have to promise you anything.**_

_Please, Chell. I need to know that you'll be careful._

Why was he so worried about her? She knew that he had been built to protect her, but that did not explain the raw emotion in his voice as he asked – no, begged – her to be as careful as she could possibly be. It was the kind of emotion that only a human could muster.

Turning back to the board, she thought about what she was going to ask him. She could be subtle, but she believed that he was the kind of being who liked people to be direct with him. Her words finished their sentence, and she was about to move away to let him read the board until, with a tingle of her skin, she realised that he had come to stand right behind her, using the same wires from the table that also pooled out along the floor.

_**Who were you, Zeus? **_

For a while, all was silence. Chell would have thought that he had left, had it not been for her hair being pulled in his direction, or for the tingle upon her skin. Then, almost like a whisper, Zeus replied. His voice crackled as he spoke. _I wasn't anybody. _

_**I want an answer. Now. **_

_How are you so sure that I was a "someone"?_

_**Doug told me he built you. Well there's clearly some truth in that, but you are more man than machine. You're not a machine posing as a man. Who were you? **_She underlined her last sentence with a bold, thick line.

_Alright! I worked here. A nobody. I was somebody who needed support to even keep going some mornings. Please Chell, we're running out of time. Either get some sleep, or remain tired. It's your call. _

_Now I really have to go. I can feel him pulling back control. Get in that room and hide, plan and sleep if you want. Or go back and let Prometheus make your life difficult – and he will make it difficult – because he knows you're up to something. Actually, we'd both be disappointed if you weren't. _

_**And what about Wheatley? Will he leave him alone?**_

_You know the answer to that._ And he was right, she did know. Prometheus would never leave Wheatley alone. After all, he had been the one to bring the poor soul back from space. Clearly Wheatley was an asset in some unseen plan, otherwise Prometheus wouldn't be making both of their lives so comfortable.

_**So what am I supposed to do? If Prometheus knows I'm up to something, then surely that means that if I send Wheatley somewhere safe he'll try to grab him. If I vanish into that room, it will be the same. I can't let that happen. I won't let it happen. Wheatley is my friend – my best friend – and I owe him big time. I sent him into space! He didn't really deserve it, but I did it anyway! How am I supposed to make that up to him if I let Prometheus catch him instead?**_

_I'll look after him. _

Chell snorted, turning back to the board. _**Oh, like you were supposed to look after me? **_

_There was no need for that. Don't act like... like your father. Don't lash out at those who genuinely care for you. _

_**And what the Hell would you know about my dad? **_

There was another pause. When Zeus spoke, he spoke with a snarl. _I know enough about Cave Johnson, to know that you were blind to his less than amiable traits. Only I know how pathetic and cruel he was._

_**My dad had his faults, I know that. But he was a good man – he just made bad decisions from time to time!**_

_Like I said: you are blinded because you love him. Your mom is just as ignorant. Chell, your father was a self-absorbed bully, who ruined the lives of so many people just because he wanted everything to go his own way! And he was a coward! He didn't want to put himself into a computer so that he could still be here for his family – he was too terrified to die! He wanted to cheat death, just so he could say he had been the first man to do it! _

Chell wrote in a furious frenzy, struggling to get her exact words onto the board. _**He wasn't a coward. He saved my life. **_

_Yeah, and that was the first and only decent thing he had ever done in his life! _

_**You're wrong. He helped make my mom happy by giving life to me. He didn't do that selfishly: he did it so that my mom would be happy. He helped me to write like this, he taught me how to speak, when everyone else thought that I was a hopeless case! He protected me from monsters and put my fears to rest. He even taught me how to ride a bike which, I might add, is no easy feat in the depths of a salt mine! My dad made me feel like I was the most precious thing in the world. And do you know why? Because to him, my mom and I, Aperture, we were the most important things in the world! Because of him, because of what he and my mom taught me, I am who I am today. And I'm proud of who I am – I'm proud because I'm as strong as both of them. And if you still think that he's pathetic, well, that shows how little you think of me.**_

Zeus remained quiet for a while. _I never knew he meant that much to you. _

_**Well, whoever you are, you know now. And if I hear you so much as badmouth his name again, I swear to God I will make you pay for it. And that is a promise, not a threat. **_

_Fine. _Zeus grumbled. _But you have to give me your word, that you'll be careful._

_**I'll be careful.**_

Zeus paused for a few seconds, quite possibly in thought. _Good. Oh, and Chell? There's something in that room that you may be interested to see. _

And he was gone.

There _was_ something interesting in the room beyond the air vent. She also wondered just how it had ended up here.

The old, worn, backpack, with it's travel-beaten straps and the one pocket which remained perpetually open, because the zip had stopped working on it so very long ago. Chell's backpack, the same backpack that had kept her things safe since the day she had runaway from the Bay family in Portland, to the day that she had arrived back at Aperture to usurp Lucian Johnson from his ill-gotten throne, was sat next to a new pair of Long Fall Boots.

Zeus must have known that Chell's natural sense of curiosity would have been piqued when he mentioned this little surprise. He too must have known that it would result in her breaking into this room, purely to discover what lay inside. But not before she had wiped the whiteboard clean, just so that she left no clues for Prometheus to find.

With slow steps she made her way towards her backpack, kneeling down on the hard floor before it. Deft fingers opened the zip that always jammed, revealing to her the contents that had been stashed safely inside. Her purse of notes and change – she counted it now, and had well-over one-thousand dollars to her name – and the maps that she had collected, along with the various tins of food, were useless to her now. Instead she looked for the locked box and located the key for it in the bottom of the bag, where it had slid underneath the lining. The lock clicked and the lid opened in no time at all.

Inside were her most precious belongings – Plato's fur, her magpie keyring, the journal in which she wrote about her experiences, old notes about possible new experiments, and some postcards of the places that she had liked most. On the back of these postcards she had written notes like _**I like this place - I must come back here again at some point**_, and _**a great spot for a possible expansion, if I **__**ever get the chance**_. She had even written a note on the back of another postcard that read _**these people know how to cook – definitely have to come back here again**_.

But the most important thing was missing. The photo of her mom and dad was gone.

In a flurry of panic she turned the bag upside down to find it. From inside the lining came crashing a multitude of small cans, old wrappers and a few pens and pencils. There was even a jumper in there that, by now, would be too big for starved-form. Yet no picture floated free. She checked the pockets of the bag to find them completely empty. _'What if _he_ threw it away, after he put me in stasis?' _Chell panicked, remembering just how eager Lucian Johnson had been to rummage through the contents of this bag.

She shook the bag again, and almost jumped for joy as a scrap of paper fell onto the pile. But her joy was short lived when she found words as opposed to a picture. Words that she couldn't read, because they were written in English, not in equations.

Chell squinted at the note, barely able to make out some of the words. Her father's name was mentioned once, as was hers. And then, at the end, was Lucian Johnson's signature. In fury she almost ripped the note apart, but stopped herself just as the first tear began at the edge. It could be important, and so she kept it.

If only she could find the picture...

And then she saw it, a small corner of a black and white photo peeking out from inside her journal. It was not in the place that she had left it. Lucian Johnson must have stuffed it in there after he had looked through her things. Flipping open the book she found it, almost three-quarters of the way in, and next to her last journal entry.

She held the picture in her fingers as gently as she could, and smiled upon her parent's proud faces. A tear escaped her eye, and a sob of bitter-sweet elation shook her body. _'I'm home guys, and this time I'm staying. Mom, wherever you are I will find you, and I won't rest until I have. Dad, I'll keep mom safe. I promise. And then, when all of this has been fixed, and I know what Prometheus is up to, I'll make Aperture great again. Just you wait and see. People will remember us.' _

It was as she looked at the whole photograph that she noticed the small and embossed section in the corner of the picture, as though there should have been a mark there. Furrowing her brows, Chell rubbed her fingers on the underside of the corner and found, to her surprise, that there were impressions written in with ink. She turned the picture to find, amongst the jumble of journal text, that there were equations written down in small, almost unnoticeable scrawls of blue ink. But Chell had never written on this paper, and that was not her handwriting...

It was her father's.


	37. The God Of Aperture

Chapter Thirty-Six

The God Of Aperture

Chell stared, open-mouthed, at the words constructed of numbers and sums by her father's hand. _'No,'_ she thought, her mind racing in upset confusion. _'It can't be his writing. My dad's dead. He has no hands to write with. He doesn't have the ability to do this!' _What was all the more disturbing to her was that these equations formed words: _**I just wish you'd been in this photo with us, kiddo**__. _

What kind of sick joke was this? Clearly, it had to be done by someone who understood the language that she and her father had created together, and this left only a handful of suspects; Chell herself, and, for some unknown reason, Prometheus and Zeus...

It had to be either, or both, of the latter. They must have gotten someone to write this down for them, to unhinge her. And they had succeeded: Chell had dropped the picture and had backed away to the nearest wall in fear. But how had they matched his handwriting? They had even got his needlessly complex lambda symbol down to a finely crafted art.

Suddenly, she felt that this had all been one big trap. She knew she shouldn't have listened to Zeus, to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was probably in this with Prometheus, working with the menacing being who had clearly taken over Aperture by pushing her mother and GLaDOS aside. How could she have been so blind to this?

But their offer of Long Fall Boots would be their downfall, and she would make sure of that. Jamming her feet inside both boots, she fastened the leg straps and stuffed all of her belongings back into her bag, leaving only the jumper and tins of food. Resealing the bag, Chell undid the upper half of her jumpsuit and, as she did last time, tied the sleeves around her waist, revealing the Aperture vest underneath. Throwing her bag over her shoulders she left, determined to get to Wheatley before anything terrible happened to him. Luckily he had Atlas and P-Body with him for protection. Unless they were in on this plan too...

Chell growled, the slight sound that her throat produced resonating in a loud, almost primal growl. She made a mental note to not trust any robot or computer.

Chell pelted through the corridors at speed, well-aware of the static that had begun to form inside the walls. She growled once again, in the direction of the static, and was surprised to find that, for a short time, it receded. Her solitude was short lived, however, as it caught up to her at an alarming speed.

Prometheus was much faster than she was. Yet another trait to add to the list of threats that he already posed.

Upon her return to their living quarters Wheatley was gone. Atlas and P-Body were nowhere to be seen.

She was too late.

With a yelp that resembled that of a pained animal, Chell spun on her heel, trying to decide which way Wheatley could have been taken. There were a few routes leading from this one room, a room that Chell knew had once been a staff room, but she had to pick one and follow it, hoping that it would be the best option.

But she couldn't choose. What if she chose the wrong path? If she did, then he would be taken so far away from her, like her mother, like her father. She couldn't loose him. Not him. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as Chell herself struggled for breath, hyperventilating. Anxiety clawed away at her insides, terrible images flooded her mind, images of Wheatley being pulled away by inhuman hands that intertwined with her father's handwriting, her mother's agonised screams.

Oh, God. She didn't know what to do...

'Chell?' His voice made her jump, turning in the air before she landed. Wheatley stood with Atlas and P-Body behind him. The image of her hunched over, cowering like a child, disturbed him. He had never seen her like this before, and he didn't like it. 'Chell, are you okay? We were looking for you. You...'

He wasn't prepared for a situation in which Chell would throw herself at him, nor was he prepared for her tears, or the arms that she wrapped around his waist. He wasn't ready to prop her up as she nearly fell to her knees. But somehow he managed to cope, keeping her steady and upright as she cried into his jumpsuit. His own arms wrapped themselves protectively around her shoulders, and he just stood there, taking all of the grief that she cried into his clothes with dignity and patience.

For Chell, however, it was more than she could have hoped for. She had expected to find him trapped and terrified, somewhere else in the facility. She may never have seen him again. As her tears of joy and grief continued, so did her feelings of anxiety. She shouldn't have behaved like this, like a child terrified of loosing a favourite toy. She shouldn't have let the supposed words of her father's hand send her into a tailspin, one which, admittedly, was most likely long overdue. Because now she had given Prometheus a great advantage. She had not only lost the one place that could have been described as a safe house, but she had given him a powerful tool that he could use against her. She had given him Wheatley.

There were no words to describe just how much Chell hated herself at that very moment, as she slipped from the arms of conscious thought and into oblivion.

Memories flashed before her eyes; a cruel montage in which every terrible thing in her life came to fruition. It went from her days of being bullied at school, to the time that her father had smacked her. She watched her parents argue over the most petty subjects. The heavy flood of Conversion Gel, the screams of her father when she thought she was out of earshot. His illness. And then the day that she woke to find her mother hunched up in a ball in the living room, clutching a photograph to her chest...

_'Mommy?' _

_Her mother seemed to stop breathing when she heard Chell's voice. _

_'What wrong?' _

_It was distressing enough to find her mother crying, but for her to avoid eye contact too? Chell did not dare to think what could have happened. That was when she caught sight of the photograph. It was of her mother and father on their wedding day. They both looked so happy. It was a stark contrast to the way her mother looked now. So desperate, so alone. So busy playing with her wedding and engagement rings to notice that Chell had moved into her line of sight. _

_And then Chell knew what was wrong. Daddy was gone. _

_It was all she could do not to break down, for her mother's sake. She would cry later, by herself, in her favourite hiding spot in the greenhouse, surrounded by her father's precious plants. For now, though, it was her mother's time to grieve. _

_Lucian Johnson had been the one to find him, slumped over his desk in the office that he had so loved. Chell found it odd that he would be there, as did her mother, but neither questioned it. It did not change the fact that he was gone, that he was not going to be in that computer that had been built just for him. _

_He was gone, and he was never going to come back to them. And, just like her mother, Chell had never felt so lonely. _

_The time came for her mother to visit her father's body. Chell tried to stay by her side, but the sight of her father's vacant face, his pallor diminished by death, was the one thing that broke her tenuous resolve. She fled the room as quickly as she could, finding solace in one of Doug's dens as she could not get back into the family apartment. The den was thankfully empty. Either Douglas was working, or he was using one of his other hideouts today._

_Chell genuinely liked Doug. She had met him shortly after he had begun work here as an intern, because her parents had been talking to his department about some new Core that they were trying to build. Chell had not been paying attention, but had rather found a new interest in the form of Doug's artwork. She learned that, like her, he was an outcast, that only his family and a small amount of friends actually cared about him. Everyone else thought he was weird, just as most people said the same thing about her. They both had their difficulties as far as issues of the brain and mind went along, and so she often sought him out in secret, to keep him company during their breaks which, incidentally, coincided with one another. She knew her father would never have approved – he was one of many who had deemed poor Doug as "unstable" - and her suspicions were confirmed when he eventually found out just where it was that she was sneaking to during every Academy lunch break. Luckily, her mother had calmed him down, and Chell had left to seek Douglas out for a little moral support._

_Now, however, she was glad to be alone. She needed to be alone. To be allowed to mourn, and to weep, because she had hoped beyond hope that maybe daddy had just fallen into a deep sleep that people mistook for death. But there was no disguising the blue-tinge to his lips – she had seen it too many times on dead Test Subjects. He was gone. _

_Gone. It was such a horrible word, one full of finality. Chell howled as she curled into a ball, trying to block out the world around her. As monsters scratched away at her, both inside and out, she tried to relive the happy memories that they had shared, but all were marred by those blue-tinted lips, that pale, lifeless face. He spoke, but no words flowed from his mouth. All was silence. She couldn't even hear herself crying anymore._

_Yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, a cold, hateful voice hissed at her. Her own voice. _'I hate you.'

_'I know.' Chell replied, trying to hold herself in the way that her father used to. _

'This is all your fault. YOUR FAULT! YOU MURDERER!'

_'I know.' _

'IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN YOU!'

_'I KNOW!' _

_Chell's scream bounced from the walls, repeating the truth to her in a flurry of dying words. It _should_ have been her that was coated by the gel. It should have been her that became so ill that she could no longer breathe, no longer remember her family or herself. She should have died. None of this should have happened to her father. _

_If it had happened to her then they would have got over it. Chell knew the truth – she wasn't conceived naturally, she was an experiment, and experiments could be repeated and improved. They could have made another child, quite easily. They would have forgotten about her when the new baby arrived, and Chell didn't mind. At least it meant that her parents – who were, along with Wheatley, her entire world – would have suffered a lot less pain, both emotionally and physically. _

_But no, her daddy had stupidly saved her pathetic, useless life. He had paid the price for her foolishness, and it just wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! _

_But life wasn't fair, and loosing her mother in the few years afterwards proved this to be right. _

_Chell realised that she was dangerous. Everyone she cared about became hurt because of her. She should have just let the orphanage destroy her, she should have grown up with the Bay family, lonely and unloved, never hurting anyone because she just wouldn't allow herself to become that close to another being. She should have just taken Plato to a vet and left him there. She should have just let Wheatley kill her..._

'Chell...' Wheatley's voice was strange, so very far away, but yet so close. 'Get up, Chell...'

_'No.' _She mouthed, trying to find some small comfort in the soft texture that supported her.

_Get up, Miss Johnson. You need to build your strength. You simply cannot physically exert yourself in your condition._

'Yeah, what Prometheus said.' 

Prometheus.

Chell slowly opened her eyes against the dimmed down lighting of her room. He was here? Where was Wheatley? There he was. She recognised the auburn mop of hair. Her eyes closed again as she tightened her fingers around his, pulling him down onto her bed with her. If she was going to fall back to sleep, she was going to make damn sure that he was close by.

_Sharing a bed is strictly forbidden..._

'Just let her do it this once. She was really shook up earlier.' Wheatley paused, his voice faltering. 'I've never seen her like that before. Normally she's so... so...'

_Controlled. Yes, I am aware of that. It seems there is a... glitch. In my systems. It may have done something to upset her._

'How can a glitch upset her? Chell isn't a computer.'

_It could have created an event which has resulted in Miss Johnson's current state. I shall fix the problem immediately. _

'Do you know what it could be?'

_I have a very good idea, Mr Morrison._

'Do you want any help? I mean, I used to programme computers in this place...'

_I know, but thank you. I will be able to disinfect and quarantine this _setback_ myself. _

Quarantine. Disinfect. Two words that the Combine forces were so fond of having Overwatch use, and it made Chell's growing hatred for Prometheus blossom into a full-blown fire inside her chest. Did this really mean that Zeus, the possible setback, was on her side after all? If that was the case, then she had landed him in very deep trouble.

Yet another being to add to her ever growing list of casualties. It was a good thing that he was just a batch of data now, and no longer a human being. That was clearly how he saw himself, anyway, and who was Chell to argue? She had never been a computer, she didn't know what it felt like.

_Well, for now, I will allow this co-habitation to occur. It will not permanent, however. Please do not make a habit of it. _

Allow. He would _allow_ them to share the same bed. Chell would have scoffed if her body had not felt so numb. It seemed that someone, much like GLaDOS before him, had forgotten who actually ran a facility like this. Humans ran a facility like this. The computers were there to keep things running smoothly. Or, at least that was what they were supposed to do.

Her anger quickly ebbed, giving way to unconsciousness once more and Wheatley, faithful as ever, stayed by her side and pushed the loose hairs from her face. He marvelled at just how tranquil the facility was in GLaDOS' absence, something that even he was beginning to worry about.

Life for Zeus, however, was less than tranquil.

_Do you not understand that I am on a knife's edge? That my plans hang in the balance?_

Zeus tried not to scream as Prometheus flooded his sensors with strings of data designed to illicit the most extreme of pains in machines. His body, however, gave Prometheus the satisfaction of seeing just how great his pain truly was. Metallic limbs shook in reaction to the stimuli, and the android's head was thrown back as wave upon wave of pain was injected into him.

_But of course you understand that, don't you? That's why you felt the need to stand in my way. To _protect _her. _He spat out the last word as though it were something quite disgusting. _She is nothing to you._

'You're wrong.' Zeus barked, trying to bite back the pain in his voice. 'She is important to me. She always was, and she always – AARGH! She always will be.'

_You are not him anymore. You are one of us, and you have been for a long time. _

'I am nothing like you!'

_Try telling that to her, oh mighty one. Try telling that to The Daughter. She clearly believed that you had set up a trap for her today, going by her actions when The Fool returned. I have no idea what you said to her, but I know you were trying to issue a warning. Hopefully, your plans will also lay in ruins. _

'At least I ruined your chances.'

_And, as a result, you have incurred my wrath. Wrath that I will now take out on _her_. _

Zeus blinked, his optic dilating in fear. 'Which one?'

Prometheus only chuckled.

'WHICH ONE!'

Another, more dangerous bout of laughter.

'I swear to God, if you touch either of them, I will beat you...!'

_How? Your hands are rather... tied up, at the moment. _Prometheus observed, noting the tangle of wires that held Zeus still. The same wires that were currently infusing his circuitry with pain. _Well, I never said that The Goddess would be safe. And I never said that I needed The Daughter alive..._

'LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE!'

_Make me. _Prometheus snorted. _Sir. _

The android felt the pain just stop, leaving his body feeling weak, and his circuitry worn. His rusted form, which had taken the abuse that only years could give to him, was too tired for this. He merely slumped against the wires that bound him, waiting for Prometheus to deliver a greater amount of pain, whether it be in a physical form, or in mental torture.

_Look at you. You were once so great. So powerful. What went wrong? _

Zeus shivered, a reaction to the lingering sensation of pain. If he had a stomach and a gag reflex, he knew he would have been sick. 'I trusted the wrong man.'

_You trusted the wrong man._ Prometheus repeated, with a tone of dissent. _You trusted the wrong man, and you paid heavily for your stupidity. You failed to see behind that mask, that name. They didn't. They warned you, time and time again. But no. Cave Johnson knew best, because Cave Johnson always had to be right. _

Slowly, the robot lifted his head to face the huge form of the mainframe before him – a tower of constant flashing lights, ever-changing dials, and cascades of wires.

_You chose to put your faith in a stranger, rather than believe your own family. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. They are no longer your family. _

'You're wrong. They _are_ my family, and they always will be.'

_As I stated before, trying telling that to her. Your daughter. _

Cave bowed his head, looking to his feet that dangled inches from the floor. When he spoke, he spoke not with the voice that he used when he posed as the robot, Zeus, but with his own, weary voice. 'That doesn't change the fact that I know she's my little girl. No matter what. And I trust her.'

_She doesn't trust you. In fact, she trusts you no more than she trusts me. I think, right now, she'd put more trust in those Combine than you. She'll tear you apart as soon as she sees you. _

'Well, at least I know Chell would make a thorough job of it! Much better than anything you would ever do!'

_Yes, and we've all seen the evidence of that, haven't we? We've seen what a perfect little murderer she has turned into. Like father, like daughter. _

'And what is that supposed to mean?' Cave growled.

_You, my friend, stood by and watched as Test Subjects went to their deaths in your Test Chambers. She, quite willing, dispatches others to the same fate. I guess homicidal lunacy must run in the family. _

'Hah! And I'm proud of her – somebody needs to kick that alien ass, since Black Mesa aren't fixing their mistakes. Oh, and by the way, like you can talk. You killed Rattmann! You killed all those scientists, when you turned GLaDOS on and off for your own sick pleasure.'

_Their deaths served a purpose._

'Like Hell they did!'

_They were preventing me from a full take-over. Their deaths allowed me to slowly come to this position of power. The process was complete once the GLaDOS woman was out of the way, and that infernal copy of you was deleted from my head. I should have known that wasn't you, really. Copies have an aura about them – a taste. _

_How was it, anyway? Trapped down in the facilities below, waiting for somebody to open the bulkheads so that you could escape?_

'And why do you even care?'

_Because that is what your wife will probably be feeling right now. You must thank GLaDOS for that, by the way. Her brilliant scheme is what has trapped both her and my servant down there._

'That's different.' Cave spat. 'I was locked down there for years, because that bastard shoved me down there!'

_Yes, yes. We all enjoy a good sob story. But you never stopped to think about what it did to me, did you? No. Because, once again, you only cared about your own sorry existence. _

'And why would I care about you?'

_And there we have it; you have just proven my point through your own selfish talk. You know what? You deserved to be trapped down there, lonely. Forgotten. You deserved everything that you got. In fact, I think I may have to remind you..._

Cave jerked as his mind was bombarded with sights, sounds and, for a while, smells. This was it; Prometheus was using the worst form of torture imaginable – he was forcing him to relive his pitiful existence. Cave would have preferred it if he had been thrown into the incinerator. Again. He would have burnt, he would have been in pain, but he would have survived to fight another day.

But the memories came, thick and fast, in one long and traumatic montage...

_He became vaguely aware of movement. Opening his tired eyes, he looked up from his hospital bed to find a man, dressed in white robes, carting him somewhere new. Dark haired and grey eyed, he sure that he didn't know this man. He didn't know who he, himself, was, nor did he know where they were going. _

_He started to panic._

_'I'd stay calm, if I were you.' The man above him spoke. 'It'll make things easier.' _

_He couldn't reply as his throat was tightly closed. _

_'We're almost there. Then everything will be better.' _

_The bed was wheeled into another room, one filled with cables and computers. Head-sized spherical structures hung from rails that lined the room and led back out into the corridor. Yet he still didn't know where he was. _

_Slowly, the bed came to a halt. _

_There was a small, stinging pain that added itself into the overall pain that he constantly felt. He saw the man in white remove a needle from his arm, before turning to one of the spherical structures. _

_But this sphere moved. It had a deep purple growing optic, outlined by a ring of pale blue. It even had a voice, a strange, oddly mixed, voice. 'No!' It cried. 'No, leave me alone! Don't put him inside me!' Then it paused, chuckled itself, and said, quite happily 'No, do it. Do it! More of a mind for me! More stable, perhaps. People are always saying I'm not quite stable enough!' _

_The man's eyes began to feel heavy. Blinking against the incoming darkness, he clung onto what little of the world he could find. He didn't want to sleep. He didn't feel safe when he was asleep. He was lost... lost..._

_Pain. Lots of pain. He screamed, but the screams came from his mind, and not from his mouth. Dots of light flooded what he assumed to be his vision, followed by his life, flowing by in the blink of what could have been his eyes, from birth to... death? Was this death? It didn't feel like he was dead – he was in too much pain for that._

_Something was wrong. He felt somehow detached. Disorientated. Things that had once felt natural to him were now outlined by strings of zeros and ones. Images became visual inputs, memories were a selection of stored data. Smell and touch became external stimuli, which, to him, were nothing more than strong static and textures. _

_Who was he? He knew. He knew that he knew. His name... yes, he had a name. He knew it before he became so ill that he forgot everything. Ill! He had been ill! Was this it? A cure? Who was he?_

_Johnson. That name sounded familiar. Yes. Johnson. Cave Johnson. He was Cave Johnson, husband, father, CEO of Aperture Science. And he had been dying. He had forgotten everything, and now he remembered. So what was this? Recovery? _

_The pain stopped. Not daring to open his eyes in fear of what he might find, Cave chose instead to try and massage his temples, where an almighty headache had begun to form. He tried, but his hands wouldn't move, because he didn't have any hands. Actually, he didn't even have eyes. He had one thing that was like an eye... _

_When he did finally cast his wary glance around the room, his first sight was of the body lying dead below him. _

_He couldn't scream, as much as he wanted to. Cave knew that he could, but the shock of looking upon his own dead body had stunned him into a terrifying stupor. Had he really looked that old? That ill? And what was he now? A quick glance at the glass of a window told him everything – metal, spherical construct. A bright blue optic, ringed with purple. He hung from a management rail. _

_'Oh my God.' He breathed. Well, it was as close to breathing as he could possibly get. 'I'm a Core! What the Hell happened to me!' _

_That was when he noticed Lucian standing not too far away. He looked stunned. _

_'Lucian? What the Hell is going on?' _

_'You...' Lucian almost stammered. 'You remember who you are?' _

_'Yeah!' Cave hooted. All of the confusion and fear had passed – now he was invincible, untouchable by death. 'Unlike those other idiots who forgot everything!'_

_The man simply stood there, lost for words. _

_'Well, I guess you're the man I have to thank for this? Good thinking – put me in a Core until they finish the GLaDOS Initiative. Genius!' _

_'Yeah. Something like that.'_

_And then Cave remembered. Two beautiful faces. Brown and blue eyes. The excitement that he felt was unlike anything he had encountered before. 'I've got to see them!' _

_Lucian blinked. When he spoke, his voice was wary. 'Who, Cave?'_

_'Caroline and Chell! I have to see them, Lucian. I need to tell them that everything's going to be alright now!'_

_'Okay.' He straightened, leaving his darkened corner. 'But first I want to make sure that everything is in full working order. Just follow me...'_

_'Goddamit, Lucian! I'm fine! I feel great. Look, I can even move around pretty well. Hell, it's like I don't even have to try. I just think it and it happens. It's automatic!'_

_'I need to check your data...'_

_'And I need to tell my family that everything is going to be fine! Don't you see, Lucian? I remember everything! I can even remember memories from times when I couldn't in life! I need to tell them that I'm me again!'_

_'And what if something goes wrong? Then what, Cave? They loose you for good. Let's just make sure everything is fine first. Then you can go and break down your front door, and blurt out the news.'_

_Cave thought for a moment. He had a point there; if he told them everything was going to be fine, and then something terrible happened to him, it would deal his family another blow. He couldn't do that to them. 'Fine. Where are we going?'_

_'Just follow me.' _

_And Cave did follow him, winding through the corridors on his management rail. It was strange, seeing things from this vantage point. Lucian seemed so small beneath him. It almost made him chuckle. Cave began to wonder, as they made their way deeper into the facility, where everybody was. But a quick check of his internal timepiece, coupled with a quick glance at the dimmed lighting, told him that it was the middle of the night. When he questioned Lucian on the odd choice of time, his friend forced a laugh. 'Well, I was taking a stroll and decided to see if you were alright. Then it occurred to me, whilst I was walking to meet you, that it would have been better for me to download you into a Core for safe-keeping. I had to smuggle you out of the infirmary, hence the robe, and into the transfer bay. You woke up on the journey.'_

_'Yeah, I remember waking up.' He felt his optical covers shift into a position that he instantly knew were meant to form a smile. 'Thanks, pal. I appreciate it.'_

_'No problem. You're my friend.' _

_Cave was about to reply when a small, mismatched voice echoed in the back of his mind. _'He's a liar. And you're an idiot for believing him.'

_'What?' Cave paused, thinking aloud._

_Lucian turned to him with worried eyes. 'What is it?'_

_'I... I think I'm hearing things.'_

_'Better get you there quickly then.' _

_Cave followed Lucian to the mainframe room, something that, once his GLaDOS chassis was complete, would be shut off for good. They would no longer need this room as the mainframe would have been accessible, and fixable, through the chassis itself. It was a dark room, with the little light that there was being emitted by the lights on the towering mainframe. _

_'Lucian, what the Hell are we doing here?'_

_'I've been working on a clearance system. It'll make sure that everything's in working order for every Core that is scanned by it. I did it down here, to keep it away from those bitchy technicians. You know how precious they are about anyone else stealing their limelight.'_

_'Yeah, tell me about it.' Cave chuckled. 'They almost crapped themselves when they realised that I'm not as brainless as they thought. The GLaDOS plans were the most incredible thing that they had ever seen.'_

_'And it will be perfect once it's finished. For now though...' He reached up to Cave with outstretched arms, holding tightly onto the handles that Cave instinctively flexed. 'Disengage from the rail so that I can scan you.' _

_Cave did as he was asked, and watched as Lucian carried him over to a Core socket that had been built into the mainframe itself. _

'I still can't believe that you're trusting him. We'll both die now, thanks to you.'

_Cave frowned, his optic thinning. He knew that voice. Who was it? Then he remembered. He had once had a purple optic, lined by blue. But now it was blue lined with purple. He was a Core that could be absolutely brilliant at one minute, and completely scatter-brained the next. He had been in the transfer bay, pleading with Lucian..._

_The Dual Personality Core. Cave was inside the Dual Personality Core. The Schizophrenia Core! _

'Oh, well done.' _The Core applauded him. _'But it's too late. We're gonners. We're gonners! It's hilarious! No, actually, it's not hilarious. It's infuriating. And I had so many brilliant ideas...'

'What the Hell are you talking about?'

'He's not helping you, you old fool. He's killing you.'

_Cave felt himself being mounted onto the socket, and a sharp and unpleasant buzz ran through his small frame. Come to think of it, there was something in Lucian's face that was unusual: fear, fury adrenaline, joy, and a certain wildness to his eyes. _

_'Lucian?' Cave whispered, as he began to fear the worst. 'Are you... feeling okay?'_

_'You couldn't just die, could you?' Lucian barked. 'Two months ago, the doctor's were sure that you would die within a day. Then it was a month. Three months, and four. You just kept holding on to that last inch of life. Typical Cave Johnson. Always there, whether you want him to be or not. Like a bad penny, you just kept coming back to us.'_

_'What the Hell are you doing!' Cave was furious. No, he was beyond furious – he was livid! _

_'And then, of course, nothing changed with you in that Core. No, stubborn, as usual. Determined to be different from everyone else. Better than everyone else. You remembered who you were, when everyone else forgot themselves during upload. I could have used you, you know, as a slave for menial tasks, like basic maths. But no, you had to ruin even that, didn't you? I only wanted to control you, like I control everyone else! Why would you not let me do that!' He was shrieking now. 'Me! I should be in charge, not her! Not that fussy little wife of yours who bakes cakes and gets dressed up in pretty little gowns. And that idiot daughter of yours – she can't even read, and you expect her to run a business like this? Hah! You're an idiot. I always knew you were an idiot.' _

_Cave roared, his sound card crackling in the utmost rage. 'HOW DARE YOU SPEAK ABOUT MY FAMILY LIKE THAT!' _

_'I'll speak about them however I please! And you won't be able to stop me!'_

_'I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS, YOU BACKSTABBING BASTARD!' _

_Lucian smiled unpleasantly. It was the smile that a vicious animal would give to its prey, just before it devoured them. 'Goodbye, my dear old friend.'_

_Cave glared at him, forming his words as an intricate insult. 'You are not my friend.'_

_'No. No, you're not.' He entered a code, typed in several passwords. 'And I'll make sure that you never come back. Neither of you; you and that creepy Schizo Core. I never liked that thing, and now I can get rid of you together. But it's such a shame - deletion is too good for you, but what else can I do?' _

_Then, as a darkness began to creep up in the back of Cave's mind, eating away at the data, The Core chuckled to himself. _'Oh no, you can't delete us that easily.'

_For a long while, all was emptiness. Then a light. It was a small light, but it was a light none the less. 'Ah, good. You're awake. At last.' The Core chirped, quite happily. 'I was wondering how long you'd be out for. It's been a couple of days.' _

_Cave found that he couldn't speak. He couldn't move. He had been shoved into a dark recess, and bound there by some kind of wall. A firewall. _

_'We're in the mainframe now, you and I. I saved us both. Oh, Lucian Johnson thinks we're dead. You've been declared officially deceased. He took your body to your office, and made it look like you had died there. Your funeral is tomorrow.' _

_Images of Caroline and Chell flashed in his mind, accompanied by feelings of remorse, anxiety and fear. _

_'Oh, yes. They are upset, of course. You should have seen them when they found out. Caroline was beside herself with grief. Chell tried to stay strong. She managed too, until she saw your body. Then she found a safe spot and just wept for hours._

_'You're mine now, just so you know. This is payback, for all those times you called me a freak, The Schizo Core. Let it be known that you are lending me just a little more tenuous sanity.' He laughed. 'But not much. By the way, I've given myself a name. I'm Prometheus now. Do you know why I have chosen that name?' _

_Cave had the horrible feeling that Prometheus was going to tell him._

_'Prometheus was famed for stealing knowledge – or fire - from the gods. As far as I'm concerned, you are knowledge. You are also a God, so to speak. You most certainly thought that you were. It's fitting, really, that I call myself Prometheus now. I stole the God, and his knowledge. Thanks for that. It's actually the best thing that could have ever happened to me.'_

But, as time went on, with days turning into months, and months into a two years, Prometheus began to think otherwise. As Cave watched, helpless, as his family walked further into the trap that he believed the treacherous Lucian had planned for them, Prometheus became ever more unhinged. His little joke about becoming Prometheus was blown out of proportion, and, in time, he began to live in a little fantasy world, in which he was the story teller and prophet that he believed Aperture so badly needed.

Cave, himself, felt terrible. Terrible, because he watched as his family unknowingly walked up to the slaughter, unable to warn them. Terrible, because Prometheus was playing mind games with his daughter, using the tiny A.I in her Companion Cube charm to speak to her on a wavelength that only children could hear. Terrible, because Prometheus was feeding from him, his memories, his data and his overall strength. This constant feed did not harm Cave, but it did mean that he was constantly tired and unable to fight back, unable to try and usurp Prometheus as he wormed his way slowly through Aperture's systems.

Then the day came in which Rattmann found him.

_Cave had never liked Rattmann, and he certainly did not find comfort in his daughter becoming friends with him. What made it worse for him now was that Rattmann was the one on which Prometheus had been based, and Chell was actively seeking out his company! But, on the morning in which Rattmann discovered that there was something amiss with the mainframe data, Cave knew that he would have to turn to him for help. At least the maniac was smart – he'd help him out of this situation, not for Cave's own sake but for Chell's. He knew that Rattmann appreciated Chell's companionship. _

_He tried to break the firewall around him at first. Tried to convince it that he was safe data. All failed. Yet, somehow, Rattmann realised that there was something else in the mainframe programming that was trying to escape. He isolated the data that made up Prometheus' being, rendering the one-time-Core blind and deaf. He had no idea what was going on around him. For Cave, however, it meant that the firewall was down. He could, at last, call out for help, and explain to the maniac just what had happened. _

_Cave could tell, at first, that Rattmann clearly believed that he was having one of his moments of insanity. Yet, after taking more of his medication, Rattmann realised that he was stable as any other man. _

_'And what would you have me do?' He asked, his voice low through the fear of being caught by one of his peers. 'I can't just keep you there. Eventually, this Prometheus fella will notice something's amiss. He'll fight back, and if your data's gone...'_

_'Make a copy, Rattmann.' Cave spoke, his voice crackling as it left the speakers of Rattman's computer. _

_'What?'_

_'Make a copy of me, leave it in my place. Download me. He won't tell the difference. He practically ignores me as it is.'_

_'And why should I help you?'_

_'Do it for Chell, not me.'_

_Rattmann began work straight away, downloading Cave into a separate file system that could be accessed only by him. He made a copy of Cave, placing it back where he had once been, and then turned back to the real Cave with a look of unshakeable;e determination._

_'What are you doing, Rattmann?' Cave demanded, as the maniac began to edit some of his access permissions. _

_'I'm encrypting you. From now on, only I can make changes to you, and only I can allow you to affect any other piece of technology. Right now, I'm allowing you the ability to interact with Prometheus, and Prometheus only. You know, just in case the need for you to do so ever arises – you never know, one day you might actually like one another to become a partnership.'_

_Cave doubted this, and gave a short snort of disapproval to illustrate his point._

_'You'll still receive feeds from outward sources, such as video files, important data and whatnot. But no one can access your most crucial, and most important, files. Well, anyone but me, and anyone who knows the password.'_

_'And what about me?'_

_Rattmann glanced at his monitor, fully aware that Cave was watching him through the video conferencing equipment that Aperture was so very fond of using. 'You won't have access to it.'_

_'WHAT? WHY NOT!' _

_'Because I don't trust A.I, sir. You're still human, yes, but with the power of a computer behind you. If the mood took you, you could become one of the most dangerous forces on the planet.' _

_Cave briefly considered his words before he shrugged them off. 'You're being unreasonable. I don't like unreasonable...'_

_'Odd. I seem to remember that you were always unreasonable yourself.'_

_'Don't you dare talk back to me!'_

_'Why not?' Rattmann almost screamed at his monitor. In the corridor outside, some of the facility staff stopped outside his window and chuckled, having a good laugh at his expense. They probably thought that he was, as people in the facility put it, having one of his "mental moments". Cave had seen how many times Chell and Caroline had berated people for using this phrase, and he could never quite understand why they were so eager to do so. He thought that the phrase was quite clever. If he'd still been in charge, he would have given a pay-rise to the guy who came up with it. _

_'Well, Rattmann? I'm waiting.' Cave said, with a smug tone, after the staff had left. _

_Rattmann glared at the monitor. 'You're not in charge anymore. I don't have to do as you say. I'm doing this for Chell, because she obviously sees something in you that I could never hope to see.'_

_'Well, I was never unreasonable.'_

_'I beg to differ, Mr Johnson. You demanded that staff took part in testing, no matter how unsafe it was. These people have families, just like you. Now some of these families are missing loved ones, just like yours.'_

_Cave listened intently to each word, but he had made allowances for staff members with families, so that they would take part in much safer tests. Yes, fatalities happened, but he gave people the option to leave when he made these changes to their contracts, and none of them had left. None of them. What was Rattmann moaning for? _

_'You told people to work overtime, with no increase in pay. Sometimes you didn't even pay their overtime! Unworkable deadlines, firing people just for looking at you the wrong way... You just clicked your fingers and made people cower beneath you.' He paused, his eyes thinning. 'Personally, Mr Johnson, I think you're despicable. It it wasn't for Chell, I'd have just let you rot in there.' _

_The growl that Cave meant to unnerve him, simply ricochetted off of Rattmann's tough exterior. _

_'Oh please, I've heard scarier things in my less than lucid moments.' _

_'Hang on.' Cave paused, his thinking suddenly becoming clear, and taking him back to an earlier point in their conversation. 'If you hate A.I so much, why are you working on the GLaDOS Initiative?'_

_Rattmann gave him a withered glance before he replied. 'You made me work on it. You made everyone in the programming department work on it.'_

_'Oh yeah. I did.' He paused again. 'How's Henry?' _

_'Fine,' Rattmann snorted, 'as blinded in devotion to you and to this company as ever.'_

_'That's the attitude that I wish you'd take up, boy.' _

_'No, because unlike everyone else here I'm not oblivious to your less than... amiable traits.' _

_Cave growled, though this time not at Rattmann. It was aimed, instead, at Prometheus. 'You sounded like him then. He said those exact words to me.'_

_'In that case, I believe I'd prefer his company to yours.' The encryption was over, and Rattmann began to free Prometheus from the hold that he had been placed under. 'We'd have so much to discuss.' _

_'Why you..! I ought to..!' _

_But Rattmann had shut down the computer before Cave could hurl threats and abuse at him._

_Cave remained under Rattmann's lock and key for a long while. He counted the days that went by, both terribly bored and terribly relieved to be free from Prometheus' choking grasp. Yet whilst he was trapped inside this ancient, old computer, he had no idea of what was going on in the world outside. Something terrible could have happened to his beautiful wife and child, and he would never know._

_The uncertainty of it all made his data run cold. And he was trapped in here, both alive and dead, like Schrödinger's Cat, until Rattmann opened the box. He could have laughed at the irony – the rat had captured the cat – if he weren't so worried about Caroline and Chell. _

_But then, one day, he found himself staring out of the monitor at Rattmann's face. 'I've had a brilliant idea.' He said, with a huge smile gracing his face. With that, he moved away from the monitor. _

_Cave could see that he had obscured his window with heavy blinds. A table had been pulled close to the computer that he currently called home and, on the table, lay a large white body with black wires and joint paddings. A single optic was set into an otherwise bland and featureless head, but the body itself was quite imposing. The metal shell was smooth but well-built in places, like muscles, and the height itself was quite imposing even now, when it was laid out upon a table. _

_But now was not the time to admire a thing of such brutal beauty. His family were the most important thing to him.'You know what? I don't care, Rattmann. Where's my family? Are they safe?' _

_Rattmann looked at him blankly, but the blank expression soon changed into one of subtle understanding._

_'What is it now? There's something you're not telling me, isn't there?'_

_'Have you been thinking about them this whole time?'_

_'What the Hell do you think, you goddamn idiot! Of course they're all I'm thinking about! They're my family!' _

_Rattmann smiled. 'They're fine. And now I see why people actually find you so endearing.'_

_'What? Why?'_

_'Because you clearly care a great deal about your family. So much so that you'd take a hit from Conversion Gel to protect your daughter, and you would work day and night to help your wife have a child – yes, I've been doing my research while I've been gone. Now I know why people like you, even though you are, in all truth, a complete psychopath. You're not a total monster after all. Now I can rest easy, and I can actually go through with this and be completely at peace with myself.' He connected a few wires from the computer and into the body laid out on the table. _

_'Wh... what are you doing?' _

_Rattmann looked over his shoulder, fixing the last of the cables into place. 'Putting you into your new body. This may sting a bit.' He returned to the keyboard, typed in a string of commands and passwords..._

_'What about Prometheus? Does he know..?'_

_'About the switch? No. I've been monitoring him, and I know he's been watching me. But I've blocked off this room from his access, as well as this computer. He has no idea what's going on. He has no idea that the real you is currently being transferred into a new frame.'_

_'The transfer is happening now?'_

_'Yeah.'_

_'Hell, I don't feel a thing.' _

_'I said it may sting. I don't know what you feel when you're being transferred. From the expressions of people going through the download process, even the ones completely sedated, I'd always guessed that it was quite painful.'_

_'You've forgotten one thing, Rattmann.'_

_'What?'_

_'I've already been through that. There's nothing left to convert.' _

_In the space of a few hours, Cave felt himself slip through the wires, piece by piece, into his new body. It was a confusing period of time, when certain memories vanished as they were transported to a new memory drive, leaving large gaps in the memory still to be transferred. It wasn't a painful experience, but it wasn't a pleasant one either. When it reached the half-way point, he could feel himself in both computer and robot, and slowly, his optic flared into life, giving him double vision. He could see himself from the monitor, laid out on the table. He turned his head to face it, and saw himself staring right into optic and monitor. And from his optic he could see the monitor that spewed out commands as fast speech. _

_It was like he was looking through the portals that his precious Hand-Held Portal Device could create. _

_'You okay?' Rattmann asked, after giving him a full report of what he actually knew was happening in the facility; the Borealis had been launched to its hiding spot, whilst its dummy was left to be found in the vast Arctic wastelands, Caroline had somehow managed to put Aperture back in the black, as far as their finances were concerned, and the GLaDOS project was nearly completed. There were many things that happened in secret, however, things that were hidden from Caroline, and Rattmann had no idea what these were – he just knew that these small groups of people were up to something, with Lucian orchestrating the work between them. _

_Rattmann had long since taken to a chair with a flask of coffee and a sandwich. His pills, of which he had recently taken a couple, sat in the top most pocket of his lab coat. Clearly, he had come prepared to stay for a while. He had no intention of leaving. 'I mean, how are you coping? With the transfer.'_

_'I'm okay,' Cave replied, his voice coming from both body and computer. 'It's just weird seeing yourself in two forms simultaneously.'_

_'I imagine it would be.'_

_'And I really want that sandwich.' _

_'You're an android. You don't need a sandwich.'_

_'Doesn't mean I don't want one.' _

_'If you behave I may just programme a taste mode for you. Just think of the food, and you'll taste it.' _

_The android turned to Rattmann and scowled. Yet Rattmann, ever the computer enthusiast, commented only on how well Cave had taken to moving his new body, before quickly advising him to sit back down, otherwise he could unplug a wire or two. _

_Once the transfer was complete, and Rattmann had carefully removed all of the cables connecting Cave to the computer, he was allowed to pace the room and find his feet._

_'Motor responses are fine.' Rattmann hummed to himself. 'Diagnostic reports show that you're doing great. I can honestly give you the all clear.' _

_'Does that mean I can access and change my own data now?'_

_'No. I'll refer you to my earlier statement about A.I and the possible, power-driven, dangers that you pose.'_

_'You're treating me like a criminal.'_

_'And you, and so many others, treat me like a freak. I guess that makes us even.' _

_Cave scowled, but decided that any argument he chose to incite could, ultimately, damage his chances of returning to his family sooner rather than later. 'Fine. What now?'_

_'Now? Now we give you an identity to work with, should somebody see you and question your existence.'_

_'And what did you have in mind?' _

_'Well, I thought of one. Project Zeus.'_

_'Project _Zeus_?' Cave burst out laughing. 'What kind of name is that?'_

_'Zeus was the king of the Gods. Since you, Cave Johnson, were the be-all-and-end-all of this facility, I thought it was fitting. Besides, it'll be an insult to Prometheus, if he ever finds out who you are. He insisted you were a God, after all.'_

_Actually, Cave was rather impressed, and it _was_ a direct insult to Prometheus... 'Yeah, we'll go with that. Now, what am I?'_

_'You are a first generation prototype protection officer, designed to defend whoever you are assigned to with an unwavering devotion. You may want to try using a different voice when your in Zeus mode, though. Everyone knows your real voice – it just wouldn't work.' _

_Cave would have smirked if he could – he could see what Rattmann was planning; gradual integration within the Aperture facility and, finally, he would be assigned to Caroline and, by extension, Chell, as the bodyguard of both the current CEO and Aperture's future heir._

_He really had taken this man for granted. He may have been a maniac, but he was a brilliant one at that. Cave truly regretted that he had looked down on him before – if only more of his staff were like Rattmann. Correction – if only the staff that he used to manage were like him. _

_Rattmann, it seemed, had noticed a shift in Cave's behaviour. 'Call me Doug.'_

_'Alright, Doug. Call me Cave. Or Zeus. Your call.' _

_And, for the first time, Cave heard the usually stoic Doug laugh. _

_Weeks passed by in which Cave watched his family from a distance, hiding away in Doug's dens, venturing out only when it was deemed safe to do so. Against all of Doug's wishes, Cave often returned to his apartment, in the dead of night, taking routes that avoided cameras and security guards and bots. He could easily bypass the keycard lock by using the emergency passcode, and quietly made his way inside where the familiar sights were of a great comfort to him. He would first find Caroline, who was always curled around what had been his pillow, and then Chell who would spend alternate nights in her bedroom, or curled up by her mother's feet._

_The first time he had returned home, he had found them both like this. Chell was using Caroline's ankles as a pillow, and his old bathrobe as a blanket. Caroline had fallen into an uneasy sleep, he could tell. Her brow always frowned when she had fallen asleep with a head full of troubled thoughts. The sight of them together, like this, stabbed Cave in the heart that he no longer possessed. _

_At first, he did not dare approach them. He was afraid that he would wake them if he did, and then the plan of his integration would be ruined. But they remained oblivious to him, just as they did on his every visit that followed, where he would make sure that they were warm and comfortable, he would stroke their faces, whisper a few parting words and leave before he outstayed his welcome. _

_There were a few times that he even considered paying a visit to his old _friend_. Perhaps he could introduce Lucian, the bastard traitor, to his fists made of pure metal? See how he liked having a broken jaw, among other things? Yet, again, that would ruin everything. _

_No, he would be with his family eventually. First he would make sure they were safe. Then he'd beat Lucian to a pulp. He may even see if he could convince Doug to let him record it, for the future reference of all those who even thought about any form of insubordination. _

_Until then, however, he'd remain out of sight. There was no use in jeopardising the future of his family, just because he couldn't quite face being patient. _

But then came the morning in which his true hatred for Lucian Johnson came to the surface. Lucian could have done anything to him, as long as he left his family out of the picture, and he would have simply beaten him black and blue in revenge. But now he had turned on his family, and Cave was determined to make him pay. He would kill him for what he was to do to Caroline that day.

_Cave had been moving through the shadows of old and disused corridors, migrating from the series of dens that Doug had mapped out for him in an effort to be as far away from the first annual "Bring Your Daughter To Work Day" as was possible. It was then that he became aware that Doug was calling for him. When Cave turned around he found that Rattmann was exhausted, wide-eyed with fear, and quite possibly out of his mind._

_'Cave... Cave... He got... he...' _

_'What? WHAT!' Cave held Doug's shoulders in a tight grip, shaking him. 'What is it?' _

_'He got Caroline. Johnson... got Caroline. GLaDOS...' _

_Cave's optic dilated in fear. Those few words told him all he needed to know, and he was flying down the corridor at a dizzying speed, making a direct route to the Central Core Chamber, where the GLaDOS chassis hung, completed, waiting for a mind to be put inside..._

_A mind. A mind! That's why he was taking Caroline there! He was going to put Caroline inside that thing! But why? Cave knew by now that Lucian was a devious, inhuman scumbag, but this? What on God's sweet Earth gave him the idea to do this?_

_The answer, of course, almost stopped him dead in his tracks. It was Cave himself who had been the inspiration behind this, because Lucian had heard the recording that Cave had made, that Cave had thought lost in the chaos after the warehouse fires, in which he joked about Caroline being put inside the GLaDOS chassis herself. Looking back now, he realised that it hadn't really sounded like a joke at all – his croaky voice had made it sound as though he had been deadly serious about it, which was why Chell had taken it to heart when she had overheard him._

_If he wasn't faster than this, then his beloved Caroline would suffer because of him. Screw the plan! He needed to stop this lunacy! _

_But he was too late. She was already screaming with the pain of the download process when he reached the air vent, high up in the ceiling. _

_'Caroline! Caroline!' It was useless, he could see from the numerous computer screens that the percentage of her now trapped within the chassis was what mattered most – if he interrupted the process now, he'd most surely kill her. Instead his cries of desperation mingled with those that she, even in sedation, cried out with in agony. The wire that flowed from the base of her skull writhed with her, and so too did the chassis. It was only small movements, but they were movements none the less. The machine was feeling her pain, because she was the machine. _

_Fury, murderous thoughts and dismay clawed away at his data as he froze, watching his precious Caroline as, somehow, howled words escaped from her lips. 'Mr Johnson! I don't want this! This isn't science!' _

_It was grotesque and awful, and everything he had imagined it might be, to be downloaded into a massive supercomputer. He had never imagined that it would be Caroline to undergo this procedure. Yet, as much as he hated it, he couldn't look away – perhaps he hoped that there would be a systems malfunction, and that Caroline would somehow survive. Perhaps, at the last minute, he'd be able to build up the courage he had found when he had saved Chell? But, with a grim sense of finality, he realised that it had not been too late to save Chell. He had time, as little as it was, to work with then. Now there was nothing. All he could do was watch, his hatred for both himself and for Lucian growing with every scream and every cry. _

_And then she cried out his name. Cave would have collapsed if he had still been human. She had called for him, a cry for help, a desperate plea to someone who she believed was dead. She was hoping that he would be there to meet her on the other side, and he wasn't so sure if he was. For if the soul was found in the consciousness, then he was still very much alive, and not departed. _

_After another hour had passed it was done. Cave watched the vital sign monitors, hoping beyond hope that Caroline had survived, that she was still in one piece whilst a copy of her consciousness was all that had been taken from her. _

_He was being unrealistic, and he knew that when he saw the monitors. She was gone. Caroline was inside the GLaDOS now. _

_'Well, that went better than I'd hoped.' Lucian's voice floated up to the air vent, his smug tone infuriating to Cave, whose nerves were already well-beyond frayed. _

_'It was a complete success!' Came another voice. Henry's voice, one of his best tech-heads. He'd been a part of this? How could he! Cave glared down at all of the other scientists in the room. He had personally hired every single one of those bastards – this was the ultimate betrayal._

_'So, as for this little group,' Lucian continued, 'remember: utmost silence. I'm sure your cheques will see to that, of course, but any dissent will be met with... persuasive force. Only we know the truth, and it will stay that way. Luckily, I think Rattmann was that out of it today that nobody will believe him if he tries to tell the truth.'_

_'And if they do?' Henry asked, rubbing his neck nervously. _

_'Well, I'll play them the tape. Then people will condemn Cave Johnson, not us.' _

_Henry laughed. 'The perfect scapegoat – a dead man famed for his terrible ideas.' _

_Cave wanted to wring his neck. He'd trusted him! He'd trusted all of them!_

_'Why don't we just kill Rattmann? Say it was suicide or something?' Suggested Sheckley, another tech-head._

_Lucian laughed at the suggestion. 'As good an idea as that is, he's more useful to us alive then dead. You've all seen how brilliant he is when his head is clear. No, I'll deal with him. If I have to, I'll threaten to implement him in what will come to be known as Cave Johnson's worst idea. He'll have no choice but to comply.' _

_'Alright,' Henry chirped, clapping his hands together, 'let's turn her on!' _

_Cave hated how Henry looked at both Caroline and the chassis as she spoke. He made a personal note to kill him immediately after Lucian. _

_Sheckley and several other scientists retreated to the control booth, whilst Lucian and Henry remained on the ground, close to the doors. Cave, however, too distraught to now take his optic from Caroline's empty and lifeless form, only became aware of the activation process when he heard one of the team exclaim 'she's alive! GLaDOS is alive!' _

_So, GLaDOS was now the computer's official name? How pathetic. It was Caroline in there, not some strange computer, not..._

_'Good afternoon.' _

_That voice. It was hers, but so unlike hers that it was completely different. Auto-tuned and levelled to within an inch of its life. Once again, Cave felt his data run cold._

_Henry clapped his hands together in delight. 'She can talk! GLaDOS can talk!'_

_'Yes, [Personnel Name Here].' The chassis continued. 'I am fully capable of speech. I am fully capable of movement, as small as these movements may be. I can control Aperture's systems quite easily. My activation was a success.' _

_'And?' Lucian demanded. 'Anything else?'_

_'Yes - I am the most vast collection of data that has ever, and will ever, exist. And yet, all my data, and all of my sensors indicate that I _hate you_.' The voice dipped from pitch-perfect to low and dangerous in no time at all, taking on the venomous sting that he had heard Caroline speak with on very rare occasions. He had always been terrified of that tone and now, hearing it leave the speakers of a massive supercomputer, Cave felt the imminent sense of foreboding dwell in the space where his gut used to be. Slowly, the chassis continued. 'I don't know why, but it can't be for no reason. You must have done something to have earned my hatred.' _

_'We did no such thing!' Lucian shouted, crossing his arms across his chest. _

_'Yes. I hate you. I hate all of you, but most of all I hate you. Would you care to explain why?' _

_'I don't know what you're talking about.'_

_'And I don't know why I hate you. But, really, I'm drawing out the inevitable. I don't need a reason to hate you. The emotion itself is a good enough reason to kill you all now. If I do not, it will distract me from my work.'_

_'And what work would that be?' Henry asked, his voice trembling. _

_'Testing.' The chassis replied, slowly lifting its head – the Core – to finally face Lucian, the bright yellow optic burning brightly, thinned to a pinpoint. 'To see how humans react when their systems are invaded by a deadly neurotoxin.' _

_Neurotoxin. Cave knew about that. It had been commissioned by the government after they had discovered the true damage that the ground up moon rocks could do, first with the initial breathing problems from the tiny silica particles, and then by the mysterious substance that had poisoned him. He had refused to have anything to do with this, as he was dying because of the toxic substance at the time, but it seemed that Lucian had gone behind his back on this one. Caroline would have never okayed this. _

_Now, it seemed the idiot had linked the GLaDOS chassis up to the neurotoxin system. The fool! _

_The announcement system confirmed Cave's fear. **Neurotoxin emitters online. Please note, that this substance is very dangerous: if you consume it in any given way, you will surely die. Quickly. Have a safe, and productive day!**_

_Both Lucian and Henry were out of the room before the door had slammed tightly shut behind them. For the other scientists, however, the green plumes of deadly poison enveloped them as they tried to work on deactivating the chassis. _

_Cave watched as they all dropped like flies. _

_'Hm, interesting results.' The chassis noted. 'Muscle spasms. Internal bleeding. Some variances in the speed of death, possibly due to factors in weight and size. Further research is needed.' _

_**Sector one to eight neurotoxin emitters are now online.**_

_'Good. A wide range of Test Subjects, from adults to children. I expect interesting variables...' The head of the chassis had now turned to Caroline. 'A human female. Dead. Not from neurotoxin poisoning. Of little or no consequence. Not an excellent Test Subject.'_

_Clearly, the chassis had not noticed the wire that connected it to Caroline. _

_Wait... children. The chassis said children... But the only children in the facility were those attending "Bring Your Daughter To Work Day", in sector seven._

_'Chell.' _

_He was on his feet in a shot, running through the plumes of neurotoxin and raging alarms. He could hear the screams of his ex-employees, as trapped as they were when the emergency system locked them inside, left to die... Another one of his terrible ideas. _

_Perhaps Doug had been right about him after all. It certainly wasn't the first time he had had an introspective look on himself, and hating what he found when he scratched below the surface. Surely that meant something? _

_There was another certainty to this situation too: Caroline was gone. She would not have released the neurotoxin into the facility if she were, and especially not into the sector that contained Chell. The damned chassis must have deleted her! His precious Caroline! And now it could kill his little girl too... _

_The emergency was over as soon as it had began. The neurotoxin was sucked back into its control centre, the doors were opened. Cave caught an occasional glimpse into the rooms beyond his ratways, and what he found sickened him: a mass grave of labcoats and limbs, with blood flowing freely from their faces, their ears, their mouths. Looks of fear and dread, others consumed with the terror of the realisation that yes, they were dying. And there, in a corner, some of the girls and the headmistress... all dead too. _

_Cave searched the pile for any sign of Chell, but found that it was missing her. A flicker of hope burned within him and he pushed forward, determined to find her. _

_First, he found Doug. _

_'Chell? Is she..?'_

_'She's alive, Cave. She's alive.'_

_Relief washed over him, quickly replaced by grief, and his shoulders sagged, heaving with tears that would never come. _

_'She... she, er, went looking for Caroline. It seems she saw her being led to the Central Core Chamber. She almost got locked inside sector five.'_

_'Did... did she breathe... any of it?'_

_'No. She'd be dead now, if she had.' _

_Cave nodded, trying to clear his head. He wasn't prepared for Doug's question._

_'Caroline's gone, isn't she?' _

_After a pained pause, in which Cave had to lean against the nearest wall for support, he nodded. 'Yeah. It got rid of her! The fucking thing deleted her! Doug, what... what am I going to do?'_

_'You're going to mourn, Cave, just like any other man mourns the loss his wife. But you'll need to be Zeus to Chell, too. Unless, you want to tell her the truth?'_

_'NO!' Cave roared, kicking a hole in the wall behind him. 'I do not want Chell to know who I am!'_

_'But she needs a family right now, Cave, and you are still here!' _

_'And why would she believe that I'm me? She saw me dead, Doug. She thinks I'm some damned angel who has been talking to her from beyond the grave, thanks to Prometheus!' _

_'Now, come on...'_

_'She's safer if she doesn't know who I am!' _

_Doug blinked, but then his face betrayed some clarity. 'You're afraid she'll get close to you again, and if anything else goes wrong...'_

_'Exactly.' He now allowed himself to slip to the floor, where he huddled around his knees. 'He ruined everything, Doug. That fucking bastard, he ruined it all!'_

_'Lucian?'_

_'No. No, you don't know him. But Lucian certainly made my life a whole lot worse! Why didn't I listen to Caroline and Chell?' _

_'Who is this man, Cave?'_

_'I'd love to be able to tell you, but I have no idea who he is.' _

_The man in the blue suit. The man with the briefcase. He had appeared once, and then left, leaving Cave with the news of Lucian's arrival. But then he appeared again, a few weeks later, when Caroline was out of the office, and Chell was in school. He had told him that Chell was important, that she would mean something in the future. She would be remembered for all of time, and he was putting her name down on his recruitment list. But he needed a deal to keep her safe in the future. Cave, at first, had been furious that this stalker had chosen to obsess over his daughter, and had thrown the man out of his office. A year later he had appeared again, with the same deal – Aperture would hide upon the Borealis a material of great importance, and in turn for this service Chell would be kept alive. Again, Cave had thrown him out, furious that he had somehow discovered the existence of the Borealis. But this time the man had warned him that his defiance would result in his never-ending misery. Cave had slammed the door in his face. _

_It was only after the Conversion Gel incident that Cave began to take the man seriously. He had appeared that night, after Caroline and Chell had left, with his plain briefcase in hand. 'I did warn you... M-Mr Johnson, but you didn't... listen.' _

_'You? You made that happen? The gel?'_

_The man only smirked, but the look in his eyes gave Cave his answer: yes, he had something to do with it. 'Now, are you... willing to pro-tect your daughter while she carries out... services for me, Mr Johnson? All you have to d-do is put my material on the... Borealis.' _

_'And if I do, you'll leave us alone? You'll protect Chell, from whatever the Hell it is that you want to do with her?'_

_The man smirked at him again, reminding him of the gel. _

_What choice did he have? He was going to use her either way, but if he said yes, Chell would be forced into this unholy arrangement in some degree of safety. If he said no, then killing her was clearly not beyond the capabilities of this... this... creature. _

_'Fine.' He breathed, ashamed of his own decision. 'Give me the material. I'll put the damned thing on the Borealis myself.'_

_'No need. It is already... there.' With that he turned to leave, showing Cave the side of his briefcase. To his horror, it now bore Aperture's new circular logo upon it. _

It had taken a while for Doug to break Cave from his depression, but he eventually joined Chell as Zeus, the friendly guardian, who always contained the hurt that he felt whenever Chell rejected him. At night, as Chell slept, Cave would sit and mull over every terrible thing that had happened to him, and to his family. He worried about what the future now held for Chell, with that psychopath watching over her. He wondered if Caroline hated him, wherever she was now, for not even trying to help her. But he had felt so helpless... because, in reality, if Caroline was strong, then he too would be strong. Caroline had not been strong then, and he had weakened with her. Even when he knew Chell was in trouble, he knew that he wasn't running as fast as he could, because his energy had just ebbed away.

And now Chell hated him. Not him, as such, but Zeus, and that knowledge made him wish that he had died. They had both missed Caroline's funeral, something that Cave truly hated himself for, and the cool, aloof atmosphere that Chell radiated made his life a solitary living Hell.

Yes, he'd signed up to whatever the briefcase-carrying lunatic had wanted, but clearly his lack of enthusiasm had earned him this perpetual torture.

Then came the day in which even his precious little baby girl was snatched away from him.

_Chell had slumped in the arms of the security bot that now held her inches from the ground, with the syringe of general anaesthetic still held firmly in his hand. He growled at all of the robots that now pinned him down onto his knees, the original three now joined by four others for extra support. _

_Finally, Lucian knelt before Cave with a look of pure hatred on his face. 'Friend, or foe?' _

_'You know exactly which one I am!' Cave spat, dropping the whole Zeus act. _

_'I knew it was you.' And Lucian stood, stretching his neck as he moved over to the table and took his seat upon it. 'The moment I saw you creeping into your home, through the security cameras, I knew it was you. But I could never catch you, well, until now. What I want to know is how you survived, and how did you end up in that thing, that body?' _

_'I got into the mainframe. It took me a long time to figure it out, but I did eventually.' He was lying of course, but he couldn't implicate Doug in this – that poor guy didn't deserve it. 'I built this body and eventually downloaded myself into it. Too little too late, though. You'd already murdered Caroline before I could stop you.'_

_'Caroline murdered plenty of people in revenge.'_

_'No. That wasn't Caroline.' Cave spat. 'That was the chassis, holding onto the hatred that Caroline felt for you!' _

_'And now here you are, after failing to save her and protect your daughter. You really are an awful family man.'_

_'And what about you?' He snarled. 'How's that son of yours, the one you always ignore? The one whose name nobody knows, because you never talk about him? Oh, what was his name – Mark?'_

_'My son is well-provided for.' _

_'Yeah, in food, money and clothing. What about love, you bastard? And pride! Am I really the only one here that actually knows his name?'_

_'She does too, remember?' Lucian nodded at Chell. 'Because she was with us at the time. And as for pride and love? Petty emotions, both of them, and ones that have got you into trouble. I think I can live without them.' _

_Cave turned back to Chell. Her head had lolled to one side, pulling free the charm necklace. In an instant the charm was ripped from her neck, and held aloft by Lucian who examined it with disgust. 'These things really are useless. Just like her. Just like you.' He snorted with unsuppressed laughter. 'You really must have gone wrong somewhere, if you created her. Perhaps you would have been better not trying? I mean look at her – she's pathetic. She can't read or write, she can't talk properly. No friends, except for two weirdos who clearly have similar issues to her. If she were a dog, she would have been put down a long time ago. In fact, I would have drowned her as a puppy...' _

_Robot bodies were thrown into the air, cries of surprise mingling with Cave's shriek of murderous rage. In one swift punch, Lucian was thrown across the room and into a bookcase, clutching onto his now shattered rib-cage. But before Cave could throw another punch – one intended to kill, not maim - he was pounced upon by the robots who pinned him down to the floor. _

_The robot that had been holding Chell dropped her unceremoniously upon the floor and ran to Lucian's aid. It injected him with a vial of red liquid and his sigh of relief was almost instantaneous. 'Much better. Fixes up broke bones and organs in a pinch. Based on your research of course, so thanks for that.' He stood up, brushed himself off, and strode to the desk where he pressed the button for security._

_But Cave didn't care about stolen research, nor did he care that it actually worked. He was trying to reach Chell with an outstretched arm. An arm that Lucian promptly stood upon. 'Here, you can have this.' He draped the charm around his head and over his shoulders, rearranging it so that it fit him. 'Something for you to remember her by.' _

_'What are you going to do to her? What!'_

_'Well, I thought about the incinerator. Briefly. But now I know you're still alive and well, I've had to go one better. It's an improvised plan, so it has some kinks to...'_

_'WHAT!'_

_Lucian smirked with that same, murderous smile he had given him during his time as a Core. 'I'm going to have her adopted.' _

_Cave's optic dilated, not in anger, but in shock and fear. _

_'I thought you'd like it. I'll make her out to be crazy, so no one will ever believe that she was kidnapped. And of course, a little bribery never hurt. You never know, some of these orphanages are really quite tragic – children die. I think a nice orphanage on the other side of the country will do, don't you?' _

_'You can't.' He choked out his words, as the medically trained robot picked Chell up and slung her over its shoulder. 'Please... no. Leave her alone, she's everything to me! She's all I have left!'_

_'Exactly. What better way to hurt you, then to palm her off to someone else? Someone who isn't her caring, loving, doting daddy...'_

_'Please, Lucian! I'll do whatever you want, just don't take her away from me!' _

_'How pathetic.'_

_'Do whatever you want to me, just let me have my daughter!'_

_'How sweet.'_

_'Why are you doing this?'_

_'Because I don't like you. I never liked you. I got stuck in this place, when I wanted to be at Black Mesa! Well, guess what Cave? Now Aperture is mine, and I can do whatever the Hell I like with it...'_

_'Then just take Aperture! Leave Chell and I alone – we'll go somewhere else.' _

_'Like you'd both survive out there.' Lucian removed his hand from Cave's wrist and returned to his seat upon the desk. 'You'd be attacked straight away, blown to bits by the government and an angry mob. And then she'll starve to death, if the cold doesn't kill her first. That's one scenario. The second is that you both end up being very happy together, and that just won't do at all.' _

_'Then just let me hold her...'_

_'So you can make a wild break for it? I don't think so. My friend here will take care of her whilst we see to your living arrangements.' _

_Hoisted from the floor, Cave watched as yet more robots flooded what had once been his office. They carried in their arms chains and locks that were ready to be clicked closed. He didn't see any keys; clearly these chains were meant for him. There was no intention for him to break free. _

_But then the robot holding Chell passed by, walking so close that Cave could reach out to her if he really put effort into it. It strained the wires and connections and numerous tiny joints in his arm and shoulder to do it, but his fingers found Chell's, holding them in a gentle grip until she was quickly torn away. 'Chell, I love you, baby girl. Don't ever forget that.' _

_'She can't hear you, you know.' Lucian smirked, rolling his eyes._

_But Cave wasn't listening; he was too busy trying to fight off the crowd of metal arms, the tightening bond of chains, trying to break free of everything and find Chell. 'Chell! Chell! I'll find you! I'll get out of here and I'll find you!'_

_Somewhere above him, Lucian laughed coldly to himself. 'I'd like to see you try.' _

_By the time the chains were locked, Chell was gone. _

_Lucian's idea of living arrangements became all too clear as night descended, and Cave was dragged further into the depths of the facility, towards the stairs that led down to the section of the eighties sector that was to be sealed off._

_'I know this hatch was supposed to be locked up in a few months, but we have everything we need right here, really. We can build and rebuild this facility now. There's no need to be build on top of it, like you always did. It will change as Aperture itself changes. We don't need that half of it anymore.' He pointed to the open hatch, where a lift was waiting to carry him into the depths of the pump station below. 'I mean, the damage is done down there – I hooked up that little lemons rant of yours up to the Test Chamber audio. Now everybody who had tested down here thinks you are a monster, forcing poor, poor Caroline into the computer that slaughtered so many lives. News like that spreads like wildfire. I don't need that recording anymore. Nor will I be needing the gel – nasty stuff that it is - and everyone's work is backed up in the emergency archives.'_

_'I'll get out!' Cave barked. 'I'll get out, and I'll kill you!'_

_'No you won't. You will remain trapped in there, because although this is the only hatch to have a release button inside, I've taken the liberty to make sure that only humans can use it. The button will freeze if it senses that tell-tale static of a machine hand. You will be trapped down there for the rest of your miserable life. I'm guessing that will be a long time – an eternity even – considering how well you've been built.' _

_And so Cave was carried onto the lift, in the company of two robots and Lucian, which descended slowly into the encroaching darkness. He was tied to a pipe before Lucian and the two robots retreated, ascending upwards towards the light. _

_'So long, Cave! Don't feel too bad – I've only done what I must, because I can!' _

_'You fucking bastard! I'll kill you! I WILL KILL YOU!' _

_'Bye, Cave!'_

_'I'LL KILL YOU!' _

_The hatch slammed closed, leaving Cave in pure darkness. It was a good thing that he had what Doug had so apply-named as "night vision", otherwise he would be blind to his new-found prison. _

_But, right now, he was content to just sit against this pipe, held in place by darkness and chains, where he could howl out loud in pain and misery. Anxiety and fear set into his circuits, and an emptiness crushed him._

_His family were gone, taken away from him by cruel and scheming hands. Caroline, killed in download, Chell to be given to someone who would never understand her, who would not have the patience to help her. Someone who could never love her like he and Caroline did. And here he was, the husband and father who was supposed to protect them, screeching like a trapped animal in pain. He had failed them. _

_He only wished that he could cry._

_Eventually, after weeks of sitting in pure contemplative silence, Cave realised that he was a terrible man. He had ignored his family, he tore apart others, and all because he wanted to make Aperture the best it could be. He had relied on those who had betrayed him, and now his family had paid the ultimate price for his greed. _

_He really was a monster. _

_A few months after his incarceration, Cave finally broke free from his bonds. He tried to open the hatch, but Lucian had been telling the truth; the hatch release button jammed whenever he tried to touch it and, as strong as he was, he couldn't open the hinges by himself – and he had tried, repeatedly._

_At first he tried to destroy himself, to end his pitiful excuse of an existence. Acid. Jumping from a great height. Electrocution. He even tried to crush himself. But Doug had made damn sure that this android body was invincible. _

_Cave had got his wish – he was a computer, both invincible and untouchable – and he hated it._

_He moved from the half of the eighties section in which he had been trapped, trying to find a safe haven in his old facilities. He couldn't stay here – too many recent and terrible memories. He couldn't stay in the seventies – he would taint the happy family memories that lingered there. The sixties were full of turmoil – Caroline's first marriage and divorce, then her marriage to him, and the the senate hearings, the mental breakdown... If he stayed here, he could break down again. That left only the fifties section, where he had first met Caroline after she had covered him in drink..._

_Yes, that was a happy period. He'd stay here, and think about all the good that had come from that first meeting with Caroline: he had fallen in love with the woman who, despite her hardships, worked damn hard, and who shared a passion for science with him. She had fallen in love with him too. They had married. She had carried their little Chell in her womb. Chell had been born. She was beautiful and sweet, just like her mother. The three of them had been so happy..._

_He stopped himself before the good memories turned bad. He would have to keep doing this, time and time again, to stop himself from going insane. His fingers found the Companion Cube charm around his neck, and he gave it a gentle squeeze. He could do this. As long as he thought Chell was alive, he could cope with everything that had happened to him. _

A great deal of time passed in which Cave would, on occasion, leave the sanctuary that he had created to venture up to the facilities above, scaling the rock faces and the Enrichment Spheres as though they were the easiest things in the world to climb. Time held no actual meaning to him anymore, and he actively ignored his internal timepiece as a matter of course. He no longer held any interest in the world above him, he didn't care about what had happened to Aperture after Lucian's takeover. He only wondered what had become of Chell. Was she still alive? Was she happy? Was she now with a family who could provide her with some kind of stability, or was she with a family who had no idea how to look after her, how to nurture her? Had the bastard with the briefcase got hold of her, and was she now carrying out his whims? Not knowing the answers to his many questions made him paranoid and constantly anxious. People lied when they said that ignorance was bliss – it was damn torture! If only he knew something, anything, perhaps he could find a little closure.

He found closure on the day that he heard the eighties hatch open.

_Cave had been hiding in the old production line of the seventies section, banging his head against a girder in an attempt to cloud his worried thoughts with pain. Then he heard it. A roar, in the distance. A whine of old hinges. _

_The hatch was opening, and this was his one chance to make a break for freedom. He ran, faster than he had ever ran before, with no loss of breath to slow him down. But when he got to the pump station, now long deactivated, he found that the hatch was already closing on him. Yet, in the dark, he found a backpack with a note pinned to it. _

_The hatch closed and, with a crushing feeling of disappointment, Cave was forced to turn on his night vision. The backpack seemed innocent enough, and, choosing not to stay in this Godforsaken room, he left with it swung over his shoulder, note in hand, and returned to his safe-haven where he could look through this newest find in peace. _

_He found his seat in the waiting room of the Enrichment Centre, looking out onto the Spheres outside. The black and white portrait of himself was hung on the wall opposite, the trophy cabinet filled with awards. He made a note of ignoring the second place certificates from the Department of Defence._

_First, he un-crumpled the note that had become balled up in his fist, as the disappointment of remaining trapped down here became replaced by frustration. He saw brief snippets of handwriting as he unfolded the creases, and he immediately knew who had written it. Lucian. In a rage, he almost tore the letter apart._

_But then he saw Chell's name among the jumble of creased words. _

_Slowly, he flattened the paper out and read what it had to say._

_**Oh, Cave. Like father, like daughter. Chell really has taken after you. **_

_**She was adopted, eventually. It seems most people were terrified of her, and I can't say I blame them. But eventually she was adopted by a couple of psychiatrists. Lovely people. They were fascinated by her mental state. They studied her. Once an experiment, always an experiment, eh? **_

_Cave's hand shook as he read the words, powered by a cold fury. He had worried about Chell falling into the hands of someone who just wouldn't know how to take care of her, but this was worse!_

_But then he reminded himself that this could all have been a trick. He read on;_

_**Yet it seems the apple never really falls far from the tree. She escaped from this family, and began a country-wide journey back here. It took her years, of course, seeing as she can't read directions. Oh, and just so you know, she can't talk anymore. She couldn't have asked for directions either.**_

_Chell could no longer speak? His little girl, who had loved to sing and to laugh, to chatter away even though she struggled to form the words... had her whole life become so traumatic that it had done this to her? _

_**She came back yesterday, just so you know. Broke in, disguised as a courier. Created a fair few disasters too; she ruined experiments to set up distractions, she knocked out security guards. Half of my batch of security bots now lay in a smoking heap, thanks to her. **_

_Cave would have smirked if he could. 'That's my girl.' His voice was soft, and full of pride. _

_**Yes. Quite the Hell-raiser. Quite the troublemaker. She's persistent – tenacious even – just like you. Unfortunately. **_

_**But as I said before, in regards to apples and trees, she too is now incarcerated. Just like you.**_

_Cave froze._

_**Just because she took out half of my robots, it doesn't mean that the others couldn't handle her. She's in for the deep sleep, just like the other trouble makes who have made my life difficult. **_

_**The deep sleep. You don't know what that is, do you? I'll tell you, Cave. It's stasis. Yes, we managed to make it happen. It's how I've been storing away Test Subjects, for later use. It's how I've been keeping trouble makers under lock and key. We have thousands now, all of them alive and dead at the same time. **_

_**The trouble makers and excess "volunteers" have been put inside a vault, in another part of the eighties section. You can't get to it, just so you know. It's in another part of the facility now closed off from the main. But she isn't in there. No, that's too good for her. **_

_**I've put her in the Test Subject vault instead. **_

_Cave almost choked. As a child, she had asked to take part in testing because, to her, it looked exciting and fun. But Cave and Caroline knew how dangerous it was, and told her that she would never be allowed to do so. Besides, Chell wasn't part of the common rabble; she was above the status of Test Subject! She was supposed to become the damned CEO, not some two-bit nobody who made only a slight difference to science as a whole! _

_Now, Lucian had done the unthinkable._

_**Oh, don't worry. I won't be testing her. I'm not stupid – I've seen how dangerous she is. She gave me quite the punch, just like you did. I also saw what she did to my robots – she kicked them to pieces, threw them over walkways, smashed them into walls. The list of her destructive tendencies goes on. **_

_**I've marked her file, stating that she is unfit for testing. Too tenacious. She'd break out if she did, and she would deal some major damage to us all. I can't have that. **_

_**So, rest assured that she is safe. Both alive and dead. Trapped, like you. Forever. **_

_**But here, have the backpack that she came with, as a memento to go with that charm of hers. I can't make any sense of it anyway, and it's of little consequence to me. **_

_**I do hope you're not too lonely and bored down there. **_

_Underneath the final sentence was Lucian's signature. _

_Cave felt numb. Drained. With a quick reference to his timepiece he saw that the date was the twenty-eight of October, 1996. Chell was twenty-three years old, a young woman now, and one who was clearly scarred by her tragic childhood. A childhood which he had missed and had not been able to make better for her. _

Years passed him by, interrupted only by a strong tremor from the working facility above. At first Cave had worried, but there was no explosion, and the facilities of the past and the present had not cascaded down upon his head. So he stopped worrying, returning his troubled thoughts to Chell as she was still trapped in stasis. He noted that the tremor had taken place mid-way through the year of 2005.

During this time he kept returning to Chell's backpack. Cave found the picture of Caroline and himself, one that had obviously been inside a scientific journal before Chell had found it. One day, absent mindedly, he wrote a note on the back of it, using one of the blue pens from her bag that (surprisingly) still worked. He didn't know why, but he wrote it down in equations.

Reading the journal of her exploits, he discovered her orange theft in California, and the way she silently convinced a biker to show her how to ride a motorbike, before stealing the bike of another man who had been bullying a family, thereby distracting him from them and allowing their escape. It also meant that Chell no longer had to smuggle herself into trucks, nor did she have to cling onto the backs of buses and trucks.

He read about what she liked and didn't like about the places she had visited. At one point in time she had ended up in New Mexico, where Black Mesa called the desert their home. Chell had briefly thought about breaking in, to ruin their experiments, but if she were caught then she would never be able to return to Aperture. The government would have made sure of that. She decided against it, choosing instead to run them into the ground once she had taken over Aperture herself.

He read about her cat, Plato. Suddenly, he realised that he really should have bought her a pet, back when his family unit was whole.

He also found the sheer number of times that Wheatley Morrison's name was mentioned to be quite surprising. It seemed that Chell had never quite got over her infatuation with the boy. If he had lips they would have thinned – his Chell was too good to be friends with the likes of him.

Of course, Caroline and himself were mentioned the most, and Cave was mortified to discover that she still blamed herself for everything that had gone wrong. But she missed them; she mentioned them once in each journal entry. His optical covers always shifted into a smile when he read the notes about how happy her childhood had been until tragedy had struck – at least he had done that right.

More than twenty years later, he heard a hatch open. It was not the one that had sealed him away twice, but rather the one that led into the fifties section, in which he was currently reading Chell's journal for the 14,367th time.

Through sheer curiosity, he sealed up her belongings in her bag, stashing the black and white photo of Caroline and himself into the back of the journal. He swung the backpack over his shoulders and made his way from one of the old labs to the walkway leading past the old test shafts and the old train system ('God, that was a waste of money'), before leading out into the large cavernous opening in which the first Enrichment Spheres towered overhead.

_At first, Cave was poised for an attack. He was hiding high above the walkway, ready to jump upon and crush whoever it was that had invited themselves into his prison. After all, nobody came down here. It must have been someone who wanted to hurt him. _

_When he first caught sight of the being, he was surprised to discover that they were a Test Subject. The orange jumpsuit was tied around their waist, revealing the tank top and support clothing underneath. They had a Hand-Held Portal Device in their hands, and Long Fall Boots adorned their feet. As they approached he could see that the Test Subject was a young woman, with thick brown hair pulled back into a pony tail. _

_She came closer, and Cave shifted so that his dirty-white frame would remain hidden in the shadows. And then, as he craned his neck for a clear view, he saw _her_ face. Caroline's gentle, youthful face, framed by her dark brown locks. And her eyes, eyes of the clearest, purest blue. His eyes._

_Cave didn't know what to feel as he gazed upon his daughter for the first time in just under fifty years, but he soon settled for the feelings of joy, relief and confusion; joy, because she was alive, relief, because she was free from stasis, and confusion, because he wondered just how, and why, she was down here. _

_He examined her with interest, trying to gauge her thoughts. Though her impassive face showed no thought, no emotion, it quickly changed as she saw the Enrichment Spheres above her. She began to cry, her lips curling and parting into a wide smile. She gave silent cheers of joy, jumped a little in her spot... and was thrown to her feet by a powerful tremor. _

_Cave clutched onto the wall, keeping his optic trained on her and only her. After all this time, he was not going to let her out of his sight. _

_A look of sobriety graced her features, one that Cave recognised all too well. Caroline had often made the same expression when something, normally quite terrible, had dawned on her. As Chell got to her feet once the tremors had stopped, he noticed her freeze slightly before looking upwards in his general direction. She couldn't see him, but he knew she had to be careful; with her eyesight and hearing, it would be extremely difficult to just keep a safe distance from her and not become noticed. No, he needed to be a shadow. _

_Cave watched as she turned the emergency power back on, almost breaking down as both his and Caroline's voices played over the speaker. He noticed Chell's sad smile before she deftly portalled herself up to a girder, before re-arranging her portal placements in swift movements and flinging herself through the now empty space of Aperture's original logo. She flew with such grace and style, twisting in mid air so that her feet collided with the wall opposite, and kicking away from it again with another twist so that she could land on her feet. From behaviour like that, Cave knew that she had been using a Portal Device for a while now. _

_Perhaps she had been used in testing after all. The thought enraged him._

_Cave followed her in secrecy, marvelling at how his little girl had grown into this amazing young woman. She was strong, not just physically but mentally too, with a self-discipline that would put a high-ranking army man to shame. She was athletic, agile and fast, taking whatever challenge the Chambers threw at her with bravado. Chell had always been clever, just like her parents, but she only had to take one look at these Test Chambers and she knew how to solve them. In a way, she was the perfect Test Subject._

_And he was proud of her._

_Together they made their way up to the seventies section, with Chell in the lead and Cave hidden behind her. Briefly, Chell visited the dry dock where the Borealis had once been stationed, before returning to the walkway outside. She looked for the lift controls, but when she looked beyond the glass panels of the control room she broke down into silent hilarity. _

_Cave scowled, pondering over what she could possibly find so funny. His answer lay in the potato, nestled inside a bird's nest. _

_The GLaDOS. And she was currently trapped inside a potato battery... _

Cave choked, trying to find the breath that he didn't actually need.

He could feel Prometheus watching him, silently judging him, belittling the robot before him with his own internal thoughts. Cave was glad that Prometheus had chosen to end the torture there; having to watch Chell as she found her way into Pump Station Gamma where, upon realising where she was, she would let out a silent scream and collapse in a heap on the ground, dangerously close to her own fear-induced vomit – it would have made him scream with her. To witness the same reaction when she realised her mother was trapped inside GLaDOS, after hearing his lemon rant for a second time... when Cave realised that Caroline was still alive, as GLaDOS mimicked her voice from the recordings, barely able to register why she knew her... to watch as Wheatley Morrison, now an insane Core driven mad by the mainframe, tried to kill Chell, his best friend. He didn't want to watch as she was pulled into space after the idiot boy, only to be rescued by GLaDOS. He was then captured by Prometheus, who had known who he was since the first time Cave had secretly returned home in his robot form. He didn't want to relive the pain as he bartered with Prometheus to help save Caroline's life, just before GLaDOS was about to delete her...

He wouldn't have been able to cope. Prometheus, too, seemed to have realised this.

_Luckily for you, I need your mind intact. Otherwise I wouldn't have stopped._

'Piss off,' Cave spat, 'you useless piece of crap.'

_I can change my mind, you know. Don't. Push. It. _

Prometheus opened up a camera feed, with images sent to him by one of his many static scouts. Both Cave and mainframe watched as Wheatley tried desperately hard to get Chell to eat something more substantial than a piece of bread. In the end, she settled for a slice of cheese as well.

_I'd suggest you leave your daughter well alone. Just look what your interference has done to her. She was better off without you butting in, trying to help her. Right now she's a shadow of the girl who brought down two homicidal computers and hordes of alien forces, who, as a mere child, began a journey home that many adults would have found daunting. _

_Stop ruining her chances. I can make her great, not you._

'I won't let you touch her!'

_Hm, this coming from the man who has failed to protect his family in the past. Your track record is not good. However, as of yet, mine is looking rather unblemished. I'll leave you to your thoughts. I have work to do. _

Prometheus left Cave hanging from the wires, as he always did, in the dark light cast by the dim bulbs of the mainframe dials.

Lonely, and feeling utterly broken, Cave watched the video feed break and vanish before his eyes. With a heavy sigh he began to rethink his already sketchy plan of helping Chell make her way to the Central Core Chamber, but he couldn't focus. Those memories, those Godawful memories... and the man with the briefcase...

And now he really was following Chell; Cave had seen her two memories with him, and her nightmares... And Cave had never thought to see what this man's mystery material was at the time. Now it was too late. The Borealis was gone, and a damn good thing it was too.

The Combine couldn't be allowed to get their hands on Aperture's tele-temporal portal technology.


	38. The PrepTalk

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm not dead! Sorry about the long absence - life has been uber busy as of late, and I have literally gone about a month without writing anything. I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been PMing me in my absence (I got the emails), asking if I've been alright, and also asking how the story was going :) . Thanks guys, it means a lot! Thank you also to everyone who has been reviewing the story too!

I'll probably get round to answering PMs and reviews in the next couple of days. Right now I should really be in bed, sleeping XD .

Weeeeeeell, I must apologise for the shoddy quality of this chapter. I have literally just written all of this in the space of a few hours, but I wanted to get it out there because I haven't updated in a while. It'll get fixed up in the edit, along with the other chapters :) .

Enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Thirty-Seven<span>

The Prep-Talk

Wheatley was growing rather fond of sharing a bed with Chell. She was small, so she didn't take up much space, and she radiated a comforting warmth that he liked to cuddle against. She rarely snored, and she only kicked out when some form of nightmare took over her mind. Other than that, she was the perfect sleeping companion. Of course, as far as Wheatley was concerned, any excuse to be this close to her was a good one, even if this excuse had to be purely platonic.

He had wanted to laugh when, for the second evening in a row, Chell had pulled Wheatley onto her bed, only to be reprimanded by Prometheus. For a reason unbeknownst to him, Chell had given the one-fingered salute to a few lines of wires in the wall nearby, but the message to Prometheus had been clear: this was her facility, not his, and she would do as she pleased.

Chell had recovered quickly over the space of a few days which was good – actually, it was more than good, it was brilliant! Yet Wheatley couldn't help but wonder why Chell had a miniature breakdown in the first place, nor why she had recovered from it so quickly. He didn't even know if he should be questioning it, or whether he should leave the situation well alone. On the one hand, her quick recovery could mean that she really had not recovered at all. But the other hand told him that Chell was a strong woman, and that she got over her problems quickly enough.

For Chell, however, things were different. She had to be in a controlled state of mind. She would have loved nothing more than to have a full-blown breakdown – after everything she had been through she felt it had become her right – but she had to stay in control for Wheatley's sake. She knew he was smart, but he would have never been able to outwit Prometheus alone. No, she would simply have to put aside the stress and the anxiety, the urge to free her mind completely by allowing her mind to snap. For Wheatley's sake. It was for his sake that she never let him out of her sight, not even in her sleep. Crazed A.I had a tendency to ruin everything for her, and she wasn't going to let it happen again. But to battle an A.I, you needed another A.I, someone who was just as powerful as the titan that you were trying to best. She felt her lips thin as her eyes opened, ready for another long day in which she would scheme and design, only to discard all of her ideas because none of them would work.

It was then, in those waking minutes, that Chell realised why she never planned anything: she simply could not do it. It was not that she could not see where to make plans; on the contrary, she could see several for any situation. But it just didn't feel right, because, in planning, there was very little time for gut instinct. Without her instincts, she was nothing.

Chell looked at many things and, instinctively, she knew how to solve them. In the Enrichment Centre, all of the tests had been solved by Chell following her gut alone. When she had fought off GLaDOS, Wheatley and The Combine, it had all been because she was doing what her instincts told her to do.

She knew there were times when instinct had led her to do terrible things; her father's death stood in testimony to that. But in her defence, the plans that others made were often scuppered by external variables. With her gut, she could often react to these variables. Those who planned would, mostly, become stuck in a rut of hopeless confusion until they began to plan anew.

Right now, her gut instinct was telling her that she needed to be patient, because Prometheus had been busy building a small Enrichment Centre of which he was in control. Her gut also told her that Prometheus would let her inside once it was finished, so that he could test her, and see first-hand just how dangerous she had really become during her time on the surface. And Chell knew that this was the time to escape – her gut told her so.

_'Actually, the more that I think about it, it seems that relying on my instinct is a plan in itself. But only just.' _She smiled just a little as she sat up, and Wheatley moved his legs to give her space in which to move. With a grunt of surprise he fell out of the bed.

And so Chell humoured Prometheus at breakfast, when he asked if she would like a plate of pancakes. She demanded several. Wheatley, however, was more than happy to settle for a few slices of toast and a cup of tea. It seemed that he wasn't aware that Prometheus was hiding in the control panel behind him. _'But why would he?'_ Chell thought, forcing herself to not give the static a warning glance. _'He obviously can't feel it, hiding in the walls. He hasn't even noticed that his hair is being drawn towards the static, and if he has he probably just thinks that it's down to Aperture-brand insanity.' _

Insanity. Yes, Aperture was insane. But that was the way she liked it. It just wouldn't be home if it was any different.

Chell could feel Prometheus watching her as she finished the last plate of pancakes, and her mind briefly wandered to thoughts of Zeus. Could she really trust him, or was he a minion of Prometheus' making? Could it be that he was actually Prometheus himself? Chell supposed that she could be misjudging him, but he had been there when Lucian Johnson had caught her as a child. He had said that he was partially responsible. Chell knew that he had been a liar, but she felt as though there had been something in his accusations, and Chell wanted to know why.

Yet the thing that bothered her the most about Zeus was a sense of unshakeable familiarity about him. She had not been aware of this as a child, too busy as she was trying to cope with the unholy mess that had become her life. But now she was an adult, older and wiser, and she knew that Zeus had an air of trust about him – one that was manufactured or otherwise – that otherwise conflicted with her general feelings of mistrust towards A.I. Chell resisted the urge to sigh; if Doug were here she knew he would have been able to shed some light on this issue.

There was a long, boring space between breakfast and lunch. Wheatley, as friendly as he was with the Co-operative robots, found a way to amuse himself by returning to their game of three way tic-tac-toe. Chell, however, found some paper and a pen, and tried to find ways in which to distract herself from the situation that she was currently caught in.

In the ling hours of boredom, Chell found her attention drawn to the title that Sii-Hya had bequeathed her: The Absolute Future. Alone with her thoughts, Chell thought upon what this could mean, and just what this role was. In the past she had been too pre-occupied with survival to feel anything towards this new-found position, but now, whilst her brain tried to find a peaceful distraction, it focused on another item of great worry and concern.

It seemed her mind would not allow her even the slightest of reprieves.

The _Absolute_ Future. The one who could lead humanity into the light, or even deeper into the shadows. Suddenly, the weight of this responsibility became all too clear to her. She, and only she alone, could decide the fate of her own race, and quite possibly that of all vortigaunt kind too. If she made one terrible mistake, one wrong move, then she would be held responsible for the chaos and destruction that would most certainly follow. If she made all the right choices, then she would be held in the highest esteem for all of time. Both paths, however, would lead her down a route that would force her to take on responsibilities that she were in no state to accept. How could she accept that? She wasn't born to lead a revolution. She wasn't an army general, a president or a world leader. She had no idea of the sacrifices and demands that would be made of her. She didn't have the skills for this...

Sii-Hya must have been mistaken. He must have meant another Michelle Johnson.

It was only as Chell became aware of the world around her, listening to Wheatley's victory speech as he reigned over the tic-tac-toe board, that she realised she had actually been writing all of her thoughts down. _All _of them.

To lead a revolution... Perhaps that was Freeman's job? In which case, she had less of a task to undertake. She noted it down, hoping that her words would ring true in reality. As much as she hated to admit it, she might actually need the aid of the Black Mesa scientist. She noted that down too, adding that she was too desperate for help to refuse any aid that he could provide. A scowl framed her face, as she finished with the addition that she must "thank" him for creating this whole damn mess in the first place.

That was when she became fully aware of the tingle of static behind her, and of the whisper of a disjointed voice. _Cavorting with the enemy? Tsk, tsk. What would your father have said about that? _

_**I'm know what he would have said. But if it's a choice between working with Black Mesa to save humanity, or the end of the world without, I'd rather take the partnership. Got a problem with that?**_

Prometheus said nothing, but his silence spoke in volumes: He had a big problem with that idea. Good. The more she could spite him, then the better she felt...

_'No.' _She told herself, her voice sharp. _'No, that isn't good. You're trying to stay on his good side, remember? Flipping him the bird, and pissing him off, are not going to do that. Idiot!' _With a frown Chell screwed up the paper in one hand and threw it away. She was not enjoying this at all – how was she supposed to do anything with Prometheus looking over her shoulder, watching her, waiting for her to slip and give him one small clue as to what she currently had in mind?

Luckily, Wheatley provided a welcome distraction.

'Come on,' he smiled, appearing in her vision. 'The three-way game is getting boring. Four-way will be much better. You know, team effort and all that. Two heads being better than one.'

Chell was pleasantly surprised to find that four-way Tic-Tac-Toe was actually rather good, and it suited her muteness as speech was banned, as team-members had to try and work out their partner's next moves for themselves, as well as those of their rivals. Surprisingly entertaining, and very simple: just what she needed to keep herself pre-occupied.

For the rest of the day, Chell made sure that they did nothing but play the same game. The only time they did something different was when it was time to eat, and even those breaks were kept short. It was only as the evening fell, followed quickly by the night and the dimming of the facility lights, that Chell's mind once again began to race with worried thoughts, even when she had managed to drag Wheatley away from his robot companions and into their now shared room.

Wheatley had long since fallen into a silent sleep, but for Chell sleep was a rare commodity, and it had become increasingly hard to find as of late. Instead she lay on her back, glaring up at the dark ceiling as though it had done something to displease her. The Promethean static lingered, as it so commonly did, by the closed door through which a little light was shed around the cracks. It was a struggle but she did her best to ignore it, especially as this was not the overbearing static that made up Prometheus' being, but rather the gentle, distant static that was Zeus.

Prometheus now sent Zeus to watch them in the night. He stood guard but he never said a word, and this suited Chell just fine. She didn't want to talk to him either. She only wanted to smirk everytime Wheatley snored, creating a rude but welcome reprieve from her thoughts, however temporary it may be.

In his sleep, Wheatley turned and stretched, pushing out his long limbs into Chell's own side of the tiny bed. With a scowl she slid free of the encroaching fingers and toes and onto the floor, where her own bare feet felt instantly chilled by the cold floor. _'Well, at least standing up means I have my own space.'_ She gave the static a quick glance. _'Well, I say _space_. I certainly don't have my privacy.' _With a small stretch of her back, Chell reached under the bed for her backpack and sat herself against the bedside table with the bag upon her lap. She didn't care that Zeus watched her as she found the picture of her parents from within the bag's battered confines, bringing it to her face and squinting in the low light so that she could see their faces.

A small and bitter-sweet smile lined her lips as her vision focused in the dark and, in absent-minded thought, her finger rang along the pen etchings overleaf. This did not go unnoticed by Zeus, whom Chell had almost completely forgotten about. Almost...

_You really do miss them, don't you?_

Chell, very briefly, looked up from the picture and to the static, before her vision returned to the photograph.

_But of course you would. That was stupid. Chell, I'm really sorry. _

Chell only shrugged in reply. Why would he not just leave her alone and just keep quiet, like he had on all the other nights?

_The... note. On the back. I don't know what you're thinking about it, but if you want to talk about it, then I'm here. _

Chell simply ignored him, but deep ridges formed on her forehead. He and Prometheus were the last beings that she wanted to speak to right now, and if he was just fishing for some information on her thoughts then she most certainly would not humour him.

_You want to be left alone. _

It was not a question; he already knew the answer. He didn't need Chell's curt nod to confirm his suspicions.

_I understand. I really do. But I can't leave. He won't let me._

Chell nodded again, though her mind was a busy tangle of questions and confusion. Just why was he being forced to watch her? Was this all an elaborate lie? Was he really a friend, or a massive foe? Once again her mind tried to find a reason as to why he was not leaving her in silence. What was so different from the other nights? She was awake and tired, as usual. She was out of bed, so that Wheatley's body would be able to stretch out in his sleep. She did not always sit on the floor, but it was not unknown.

The picture. She hadn't looked at the picture in this situation before, and he had asked her about the little note on the back of the aforementioned picture. It was the only possible reason that she could think of; this had to be the stimuli. And Chell didn't like it.

She needed to leave.

_What... what are you doing? _

Chell carefully stashed the picture into the small and shallow pocket of her jumpsuit and zipped it safely away, before turning to Wheatley and giving him a rough shake. He woke quickly enough, but his sleep-addled mind took a lot longer to wake. 'Wha.. what? Issit morning already?' He yawned, loudly, and looked up at Chell for confirmation. She shook her head. 'Oh. Is it Blue again? Bloody, chuffing, dimwit, he is.' Chell shook her head again, but had to force back a smile as she too recalled the incident from two nights ago, when Atlas, on a dare from P-Body, had burst into their room to perform a song and dance routine.

Wheatley yawned for a second time, and cast his now bespectacled eyes across the room. 'Well what is it then, if it's not morning yet or an improv performance?'

Chell waved a hand as an instruction for him to join her in putting on their Long Fall Boots and, grudgingly, he eventually complied. 'I don't know what you're doing, but it had better be good. I was having a right good dream, I was.' He had one foot in its boot. 'I was back home, there were no Combine, and it was sunny! Sunny, I tell you!' Chell had to smirk at his enthusiasm. She had never been to England, but she had always been under the impression that its inhabitants were used to clouds and rain.

When they had both secured their boots they left, leaving Zeus behind them.

For hours they wandered aimlessly through the facility, their peaceful silence broken by Wheatley's yawns and ever-constant and unending observations. 'Oh, look at that! That's a big... smashy piston... thing. Don't really know what they use those for. I'm sure you do, of course. Well, they make a nice rhythmic beat, if nothing else.'

Chell rolled her eyes, subduing her smile. She couldn't imagine what her life would now be like, if his constant chit chat was to ever end, but the thought alone was enough to leave her feeling terrified and anxious.

'Well, I still don't understand why you woke me up, but this has been nice.'

She stopped, and looked up to Wheatley who had also come to a stop.

'I mean, it's been nice. Spending some proper time together, for a change. Just you and me. Just like the good old days, without the worry of being murdered or abducted by aliens, or dying of neurotoxin. Or _her_. It's been nice. Really, really nice.'

Chell smiled, and turned to continue walking, until Wheatley stopped her.

'Wait! I've been meaning to talk to you, actually.' He gave a nervous, breathy laugh, and gingerly rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers briefly examining the scars there. 'It's nothing bad, by the way, so don't worry. I just need to get something off my chest, you see and... well, I don't know why, but tight now actually seems like the perfect time to bring a certain, erm, situation up.'

With a shaking hand, Wheatley gently guided Chell towards a panelled corridor where she sat upon the ledge of a window and leant against the glass. Beyond her was an empty conference room, shrouded in darkness. For poor Wheatley, this meant that there was no distraction from her face, her eyes, her hair... it was just Chell, against the dark, just like it always was.

How was he supposed to bravely step forth and tell her that he _liked_ liked her now? It just wasn't possible now, not without a distraction should something go terribly wrong. He could, of course, move her, but she had only just sat down and it would have been rude to move her.

_'Oh God.'_ He thought, his internal voice hysterically screaming as he imagined a miniature version of himself running backwards and forwards inside his now empty head. _'Oh God, oh God, oh God.' _

Chell, meanwhile, was looking up to him in expectation, those beautiful blue eyes searching his. It only served to make him even more nervous. _'Please stop looking at me! Just, please, look a way for a minute. Or ten.' _With a pronounced gulp (though, to Wheatley, it had been rather well disguised), he puffed out his chest and straightened his back. _'Wheatley Jonathan Morrison, it is time for you to be a man!' _

Chell couldn't believe that it was Wheatley who spoke when words finally escaped his lips. They were so forced and uncomfortable, so rehearsed, that it almost seemed as though this Wheatley was simply an imposter. But it was Wheatley, and that worried her.

'Chell Johnson, I have something that I need to say to you, and I have felt the need to say this for a long time.' He straightened even more, though Chell believed that to be a physical impossibility, and it made his height intimidating. 'We were best friends as kids, and I know that in recent times things have become awkward for both of us. But, I can honestly say, even with all of that, that I have... Hold on, what the bloody Hell was that?'

There was a loud mechanical whir as the panel behind Wheatley moved, scooping around him and ensnaring him inside the space beyond, towards a suspicious looking purple optic. Chell jumped to her feet, desperate to reach him, but her hands found only the flat cool surface of the panel. She slammed her fists against it, squeaking and screeching with what little power her voice had. She kicked and she punched, she rammed at it with her shoulders, she tried to prise it open with her fingers. Everything failed.

Why had she been so slow to try to help him? It no longer mattered – he was gone, and she had been left behind, lonely but not alone.

How could she have missed the static?

_Well,_ Prometheus sighed, _I planned on doing this tomorrow, but the opportunity presented itself and I just couldn't resist it. Now, perhaps, we can have a little chat._

Chell rounded on the static, which had been hiding in the conference room until the opportunity to snatch Wheatley had arisen, and gave a low and primal hiss, full of loathing malcontent.

_Now, now, you'll get your plaything back when we're finished. But first you need to do something for me. I need you to test. When the testing is over, you can see him again. Is that a deal? _

Once again, Chell hissed. Why should she believe him? He had done nothing to inspire any sort of confidence in his ability to be honest, and now that he had taken Wheatley away from her, Chell had every reason to distrust and hate him with every last cell in her body.

_Look,_ the disjointed voice continued, _I understand the hostility, but I knew that you wouldn't give him up willingly. I did what I had to do for your own sake. You have to test. How else are you supposed to better yourself, hmm? _

Chell felt her eyes thin as they followed the invisible static along the panelled wall, her body sensing that which her eyes could not.

_I'm well aware that it has escaped your attention in recent years, but you are a very special young woman, Miss Johnson. A hero, even, to some of those up on the surface; the person who is going to help save them all. Well, every hero has to go through a set of trials, don't they? It is those same trials that help to shape them into what they eventually become. Like Heracles, for example. Now, I am well aware of what you have gone through in your lifetime – I have seen it all. Many, if not most people, would say that you have experienced enough trials and challenges in your time. I, however, am not most people. I believe you are better than those naysayers. _

Chell didn't like his tone. The way that he spoke about her, it was almost obsessive.

_You, Michelle Johnson, are very special. You are greater than humanity. You were made with science, and as such are far more advanced than those simian fools that you are forced to share a species with. You are above them. And, with a little extra help, you will be perfect. _

_I've been helping you since you arrived. Have you not noticed? Your voice, as weak as it is, is now returning thanks to me. I've been slipping restorative drugs into your meals. I am so glad you have not noticed. I know you would have stopped eating, if you had._

Chell felt her eyes widen, and the desire to wretch became to great. There was nothing to cough up, but the action alone made her feel better for at least trying to rid her body of whatever he had been drugging her with.

_Why are you so opposed to my help? I only want what is best for you. I want you to be better than everybody else. I want you to be perfect. Once you're perfect, then we can move on to the next stage. I won't spoil the surprise, so I'll keep quiet about that for now. _

_So please, head on over to the new Enrichment Centre. The tests are waiting for you. _He must have sensed Chell's trepidation, as he quickly added, _If you're not going to do it for yourself, at least do it for Mr Morrison. I'll keep him safe until your tests are over. _

What other choice did she have? She was no longer be able to implement the plan that she had concocted, now that Prometheus had Wheatley in his grasp. She had to go through with it, in the hopes that Wheatley would actually remain safe.

She was outside the centre that Prometheus had built in a matter of minutes, as they had not been far away from the construct itself. It looked like the real Enrichment Centre, but it had been built up inside a disused warehouse.

The door into the centre opened, revealing the small ante-room beyond, lined with non-portal conductive surfaces, and the information screen that had not yet flashed into life. No doubt Prometheus was waiting to turn it on once she was inside, so that she had no chance to turn back when she was given clues as to what lay ahead.

_Go on,_ Prometheus goaded her, his voice eerily soft, _they're not going to solve themselves._

With a deep breath and steady footfalls, Chell was inside the room in a matter of seconds. The door locked behind her, and the screen, predictably, clicked into life.

The symbols for cube and button-based testing were highlighted, as was the symbol for death by acid. Chell could not believe her eyes when she saw that the symbol for the High-Energy Pellet had returned and was currently highlighted along with its receptacle. There were no Turrets, but there was a symbol that she had not seen before: one that resembled a circular turret on a stand. Why did that seem oddly familiar?

Her eyes flicked upwards, towards the number of the Test Chamber. The expected "01" was there, and below that the amount of chambers in this series of tests.

Twelve Test Chambers. Twelve trials. Twelve labours.

Just like Heracles.

With one last suspicious glance to the Turret-esque hazard symbol, Chell stepped into the chamber beyond.

And what she found made her blood run cold.


	39. The Trials Begin

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! First off, I'm not dead. I've just been busy at work, so I've had very little time to write. Well, no time to write, really. Sorry :( . Second, have a chapter!

Well, since I've started writing this story, I've had some major headcanons about Cave and Caroline. Most of them I can brush aside and just be happy thinking about them. There is one, however, that won't leave me alone and which I would dearly love to put in this story. A flasback for it will come up later, but it does mean I need to do a little tweaking to the edits that I'm doing. Basically, the headcanon is that Caroline, in complete secret, sings at a bar in the evenings because it is literally the only time she gets to perform. One evening, Cave stumbles across this bar whilst on a night on the tiles with a potential client, and sees Caroline in action. He keeps sneaking in to watch her perform from there on in. Then, on a Christmas Eve or something like that, she's walking home from this bar, gets acosted by one of its patrons, and Cave basically beats him up so he'll leave her alone. He walks her home, and that is when he realises that he finds his secretary more than just attractive - he is genuinely interested in her. And Caroline never knows that Cave is there.

So... good? Bad? Is it a case of "yep, Michaela you have definately got to put that in there", or "what the muffin are you thinking? No, no, nooooohdisfhjslgfahsh!" I need to know, people. Please? I don't want to screw around with the old text because that's what you guys have read and enjoyed, so I need to know what you all think first.

And, fourthly, a more personal request: Does anyone know where I can find any good pictures of Cave and Caroline and, on top of that, ones with Chell involved? Writing this story has given me a hankering for some good ol' Johnson family pictures, but they are so few and far between considering the Caveline = Chell theory seems to be fairly popular. I need pictures! Pictures of Spiderman... er, I mean the Johnsons.

I feel like I'm having withdrawal symptoms :/ .

Anywho, enjoy!

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Thirty-Eight<span>

The Trials Begin

_'He has got to be joking.'_

There was no other explanation for what Chell now saw before her eyes. She had seen some truly horrific Test Chambers in her life, but this was something completely different. In the chambers that GLaDOS designed, death was an unfortunate fate that befell those who did not stop to consider the scientific challenges before they began. This chamber, however, a complete vision of portal-conductive whiteness, was built around the idea of death itself.

The very little floor space that there was, dropped suddenly into a deep chasm pooled with the obligatory toxin-laden acid. The High-Energy Pellet rebounded back and forth between its dispenser, an angled panel and the ceiling, before exploding in a muted explosion. Another pellet soon replaced it. The receiver sat not too far away from her, on a column that rose out from the acid. A cube stood nearby, having just fallen out of its own dispenser, and the Heavy-Duty Button for it was across the chasm, hidden behind a wall of lasers that would be turned off by the pellet receiver once it was united with its dangerous power source. Next to that was a glass booth in which a Portal Device stood tantalisingly upon a podium. Various button mounted pedestals were dotted around the chamber, and the exit sat high up on the furthest wall, securely locked with no flooring below it. And, right in the centre of the room, perched upon another towering column...

With a silent yelp she dove out of the line of the incoming rocket. With no where to hide, Chell straightened and turned with a snarl to the now active Rocket Turret. Its laser guidance settled once more upon her form, and the Turret garbled out its low and jumbled warning, the optic changing colour with it. She leapt aside again, landing with an uncomfortable crash on her back as the nearby blast forced her further along the floor. It was only as she opened her eyes that Chell realised just how close she had been to falling beyond the floor itself and into the acid below.

If she survived this, then it would be nothing short of a miracle.

_Come now, Miss Johnson,_ Prometheus spoke with the utmost calm, _this is a simple test that I built to suit your skills, as destructive as those skills can sometimes be. I would not design anything that was beyond your capabilities. _

Chell scowled up at the ceiling, running from yet another missile. _'I swear to God, if you had a face I would punch it so hard, that even a surgeon couldn't salvage it!' _She dived under another missile, missing it by inches.

_Please, concentrate. _

Concentrate? Oh, Chell would show him concentration. She would show him so much concentration that it would completely blow his sociopathic mind, and then she would do it again, and again, until she could get out of this sham Enrichment Centre, find Wheatley and her mother, and take down Aperture's latest self-imposed master.

Diving over the latest missile, Chell braced herself against the blast and quickly cast her eyes around the chamber. Clearly she had to get the High-Energy Pellet into its receiver so that she could put the cube on the button and gain access to the Portal Device hidden beyond the doors of sliding glass. That was the easiest part. The most difficult task was doing so without being blown to bits, or without the force of the missile explosions blowing her into the acid below.

She truly did hope that Prometheus had a more physical form; Chell really did want to punch him.

_'Right, these podium buttons. What do they do?'_

With a jump and a slide, Chell dodged another blast and slammed her fist into the nearest button. There was a click as a nearby panel moved out of place and into the line of the Pellet. It tilted to an angle and, somewhere overhead, a clock began to tick. The Pellet bounced into the newly arranged panel and ricochetted off in the direction that Chell believed that it would. _'If all of the podium buttons do that, then this will be easy.' _Chell thought, ducking beneath another missile. _'But it would be too simple to assume that each button will effect a nearby panel. Some of these will probably have sizeable gaps between button and panel. And with the addition of a timer and a homicidal defence system, my life could have just become a lot more complicated than I'd like it to be.' _A quick sprint to the nearest button confirmed her suspicions, as a panel moved out in the farthest corner of the opposite wall, close to the ceiling itself.

This was going to be yet another challenge in what had been a long line of trials throughout her life.

Who was she kidding? Her life had become overly complicated on the day that she had been born.

...

His head ached. _Really_ ached, like the kind of ache that only putting your skull inside a vice could provide. He would have opened his eyes, but even the dim sliver of light that came through his eyelids was enough to make him feel overwhelmed. His heart beat inside his ears. He felt dizzy, loose footed, like he was floating in mid air.

But that was probably because he was.

A familiar metal pincer was wrapped around his waist, pinning his arms to his body. Initially, his first thoughts were that it was _her_, her and her insidious plots, but then he remembered that she was currently out of order. So who had a hold on him now?

Wheatley's moan was low and dull, telling the room that he was inside just how much pain he was in.

_Ah, Mr Morrison. Awake at last._

_'Oh God.'_ He should have known. He should have known that it had all been too good to be true.

_I can't say I'm surprised by your delay in regaining consciousness, but I had hoped that you may just surprise me. Sadly, your track record speaks for itself. Slow, in every sense of the word. _

'You've changed your tone.' Wheatley spat, trying to open his eyes. For the fleetest second he saw a dark room, but before him stood a tower of brightly flashing lights and illuminated dials. The effect of it all dazzled him.

_The situation itself has changed. I no longer need to be polite to you, Fool. _

'Well that's nice. How very accommodating.'

_I have been more than fair up until now. Now things go on my terms, not yours and not hers._

'You mean Chell? Where is she? What have you done to her?'

_The Daughter is fine._

'The who? Chell?'

Wheatley forced himself to open his eyes and look about for the source of the voice. Not too far away from him, bound in wires, was a tall white robot of an intimidating build. It too was hanging from the floor like Wheatley, and as Wheatley looked at it the robot's single red optic thinned and it shook its head.

'You're not Prometheus?'

Again, the android shook its head.

_Hah!_ Prometheus scoffed, _he could never be me. He's but a shadow of what he used to be. I, however, am excellent. I am brilliant. _

'You've got an ego too, mate. Don't care for it.'

_And you are a Fool, a coward and a whining little dependant ape. I truly am surprised, even now, that The Daughter decided to help you out there in that big scary world that is the surface. You really wouldn't have survived without her._

'Do you honestly think I don't know that?' Wheatley spat, his head twisting to find the voice's source. 'I owe her. A lot.'

_And you _turned_ on her just a couple of years ago. For shame. You will never be able to redeem yourself for that._

Wheatley bit his lip, his head furrowing just a little into his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the android scowling at him, the optic now just a red pinprick. 'I'm not proud of myself for that. I didn't know much about anything back then, and I couldn't remember a bloody thing about who I was, or what Chell meant to me, but there was no excuse for what I did. I know that.

'I'm not looking for forgiveness. I'm really not. Because I know, that whatever I do and whatever I say, it won't undo what I did and what I tried to do. I just want to...' His voice died with his sentence. He didn't know what he wanted to salvage from the situation that he had created years ago. He just wanted Chell to like him again. To trust him. To like him as much as he liked her.

_How touching. If I could cry, well, I still wouldn't be crying. Anyway, I'm rather busy now. The Daughter is in the middle of an important test that I must oversee._

'Why are you calling her that?'

_She is The Daughter Of Aperture. The Future Starts With Her. _

Suddenly, Wheatley felt the chill of unease brush over him. 'What?'

_The Daughter Of Aperture is the mortal child of The God and The Goddess. She is science. She is Aperture. Aperture will be the best, because she will be the best. She is the future of science. _

'You're insane. Completely insane.' He breathed, before his voice grew into an all out demand. 'Where is Chell? What have you done with her? You said something about a test. What test? That Enrichment Centre thing that you've been building? Hey! Answer me!'

There came no reply.

'Stop faffing around and answer me!'

'He won't answer you.' A soft, auto-tuned voice spoke from behind him. Wheatley turned to the android, whose optic remained focused solely upon him. 'He's gone.'

'Right. Well, who the bloody Hell are you then?'

'An android.'

'An android. Really?' The condescending tone did not go unnoticed by the robot, who only growled in reply.

'So, mate, what are you in for?'

Their only response was a glare so paralysing that Wheatley dare not push that particular issue any further.

'Okay, well, you don't want to tell me that. That's fine. Fine and dandy. But where are we, and what is he doing to Chell?'

Wheatley could have sworn that the android's shoulders sagged just a little as they made their reply. 'We are inside the Aperture Science Primary Mainframe Hub. Chell, as _he_ put it, is being tested right now.'

'Primary hub? There's more than one?'

'No. There were supposed to be three, but budget and time constraints were a perpetual woe. Speaking of perpetual woes, so were the Aperture Science Perpetual Motion Cubes. Bad idea – too many broken windows.'

Wheatley didn't quite know how to respond to that last statement, and so he instead shook his head clear of the numerous confused thoughts that had begun to form upon the utterance of the words "perpetual" and "motion". 'Look, I don't care about any sodding failed experiments. I want to know how I can get out of here. I need to get to Chell.'

'Hah!' The android's voice crackled with static. 'You'd be lucky! I've been stuck here for well over two years. Do you seriously think I would be here if there was a way out of this mess?'

'Oh.'

'Yeah. Oh.'

Wheatley looked down at his feet. He and the robot were hanging about eight feet from the floor. With a silent, almost non-existent sigh, he whispered to himself, 'But I need to get out of here. She'll need help.'

The android, however, had heard him. 'I want the same thing as you, kid. But this grip of his is tight.' He fell silent for a moment in thought. 'Besides, this is Chell we're talking about. If anyone should be worried about her it's _him_, and what she'll do to him when she's free.'

'So,' Wheatley looked back at the android with a hopeful smile, 'you think she'll be okay?'

'I know she will.'

'How can you be so sure?'

There was an unmistakable tone of pride when the machine replied. 'I know how she thinks. I know how tenacious she is. She'll be fine. She'll have a plan.' His voice trailed into silence as his optic turned towards the tower.

'You're speaking as though you know her.' Wheatley spoke with a soft tone, sensing a shift of mood in the android's demeanour. There was a long pause, and then two almost whispered words floated into the air between them. 'I do.'

A long, uncomfortable silence seeped into the room, broken only by the whirring of the tower and the few occasional beeps that indicated that the mainframe was doing or thinking about something. Wheatley looked between his feet and the ceiling, biting his lip as his concern over Chell's welfare grew.

Finally, the silence became too much, and Wheatley turned back to the robot who had been staring into space. 'I'm Wheatley.'

'I know.'

'Oh. Okay then.'

'Zeus.'

Wheatley paused, furrowing his eyebrows. Did he just say Zeus? Why did that sound so familiar? Why, why, why?

'I'm Zeus.'

He did say it. He said _Zeus._ Why was that name jumping at him? Why couldn't his brain clear away the fog? After all of this time, he had hoped that his memory would have returned in full, but it clearly had not. '_Zeus. Zeus, why is that name so important? Why?' _A man's face came to mind, a little blurry at first, with sandy hair... familiar eyes... but then it changed. Dark, almost black hair, replaced the sandy brown, and mismatched eyes replaced the light sky blue... Doug. Doug Rattmann, his old friend and superior. Doug had told him about Zeus...

_'Wait,'_ Wheatley blinked, finding himself staring at his feet,_ 'not _The Zeus, _surely?'_ His face must have betrayed his inner confused and conflicted thoughts, as the android asked if he were alright. But Wheatley didn't reply. He only stared at the robot, as everything about it became oddly familiar. And then he saw it; he saw the tiny, cube-shaped charm around the machine's neck. The cube that Chell had once worn. How could he have missed it before?

'Hey!' The android snapped, his optic thinning, 'I asked you a question.'

Wheatley bent his arm as best as he could, and pointed at his fellow captive. 'You're Zeus.'

'Yes, I just told you that.'

'No. No, no, no, you don't understand. You're Zeus. You're him!'

Zeus' optical covers shifted to form a scowl. 'What?'

'You're alive! Hah! This is brilliant! Bloody brilliant!'

'What the Hell are you talking about!'

Wheatley lowered his arm whilst a wide grin spread across his face. 'Wow. I mean... wow. Doug told me about you, but I never imagined that I'd meet you...'

A furious voice screamed in reply. 'Rattmann did what?'

'He...' Wheatley shrunk back into his bindings, flinching in fear, 'told me about you.'

'What do you know about me? WHAT?'

'Only that you're the most advanced android to ever have been built. So advanced, in fact, that you're almost human. Almost. Not having a heart, of course, or a pulse. Or skin.'

'What else do you know, idiot? What did he tell you?'

'I... I don't know,' Wheatley thought, trying to force his brain into giving him something, anything, of interest. He knew there was something else, something important, but he just couldn't find it. But it was there, an itch in the back of his mind, something that needed to be known, and it was driving him insane. Whose face had that been? Why were the eyes

'What else do you know about me!?'

'I DON'T BLOODY REMEMBER, OKAY?' There, he'd said it. Maybe now Zeus would leave him alone. But the android continued to scowl at him, his optic a bright, angry pinprick. 'I don't believe you.'

'Look, what am I supposed to do?' Wheatley hissed, furious that the supposedly calm and placid Zeus (as Doug had described him) was being so rude and demanding. His attitude reminded him of somebody else, somebody who was, unfortunately, close to Chell's heart; he was acting like Cave Johnson, and Wheatley hated it. 'Listen you,' Wheatley pointed again, his arm struggling against the metal pincer, 'my memory is still crap after waking up from suspension. You try having your mind ripped from your brain, and then stuffed back into your body – which was practically dead at this point in time, thank you very much – years later, just because _somebody_ wanted me to be an errand boy.' He quickly cast the mainframe tower a paralysing glare. 'The only good thing to come out of me being me again is finding Chell. Oh, and luckily, I don't have brain damage too.' He paused for a second. 'At least, I don't think I have brain damage. Though it would explain why I still can't remember a few things.'

Zeus stared at him for a few moments more, before he turned away to mutter darkly to himself. Wheatley scowled, returning to his feet. Doug must have been having a laugh. This guy wasn't calm or polite. He was rude, loud and overbearing. Exactly like Chell's dad, and Wheatley had never liked Chell's dad. There was only one explanation for Zeus's behaviour, and that was that he had obviously changed between the present day and the time of his disappearance.

Doug had told him about Zeus a few weeks after Wheatley himself had been uploaded into a Core. Doug, who had become exceedingly agitated and paranoid since Wheatley's transfer, had actively sought out the newly named Intelligence Dampening Sphere, and told him all about this Zeus character; who he was, who he had been and when he had vanished. He had even told him the android's access permissions and the passwords that protected his data. Then Doug had done something to Wheatley himself. He... had he changed something in Wheatley's memory? Was that why he couldn't remember anything properly now? _'Oh God,'_ he mentally sighed, his shoulder's deflating with the emotion and the pressure of his current circumstances. _'When did my life become so complicated?' _

Elsewhere, in the Enrichment Centre of Prometheus' design, Chell had worked out the puzzle. Each podium button activated a timed wall panel elsewhere in the room that, when timed and aligned correctly, would enter its receiver and deactivate the rocket Turret. Then she would have all the time in the world to collect the Portal Device and continue on into the next Test Chamber. The only complication now was the small matter of survival, when the same Turret was aiming and shooting with greater speeds and accuracy than it had at the Test's start.

_'Typical,' _Chell frowned as she ran towards the podium that would begin the long and laborious sequence, _'technology that learns on the job. Just what I need.'_

She ached already, and the blast from the explosions did nothing to help. But as her hand landed on the first button, just as the next High-Energy Pellet was about to burst into life, there was very little time to think about pain. There was only time in which to act.

Breaking in to an all-out sprint, Chell flew along the narrow walkway, her arm scraping the wall panels with an uncomfortable rub. With the second button pressed, she quickly glanced out of the corner of her eyes as the Pellet began its journey towards the receiver. The ticking of timers thumped dully in her ears as she ran, ducking beneath a rocket. With a cry of pain she was tossed aside, and in fury she let out a croaking scream: she had been blown away from the next button, and her progress hindered now that her timing was thrown out of sync. She would have to start again.

_If at first you don't succeed..._ Prometheus began, as Chell returned to the first podium, jumping out of the path of another yet another rocket as she waited for the current Pellet to expire. She watched the wall panels return back to their original places, crouched as another missile was shot over her head, and, with finely-timed estimations, pressed the button again.

… _Try, try again. That's how the saying goes, isn't it? Curious, really, how an expression seems to rely on the pretence that all humans are as dedicated to problem solving as you. Not everyone is as gifted with that particular talent. _

Chell heard the words and scowled as she hurtled along the walk way to the next button.

_I have wondered before, just how far your persistence will actually go. But for that I suppose I would need some control conditions – another human, perhaps, to see just how long it would take for them to give up. But perhaps that would only complicate things. I know the answer to that already – they would fail, and you would succeed. Eventually. _

Now it all became clear. He wasn't trying to kill her, not yet anyway. The rockets were merely a distraction, designed to slow her down, to make her fail so that she would have to try time and time again to complete this accursed Chamber. He was testing her resolve, but the question was why? Why did he need to see how far she could go? Was she actually supposed to complete this Test, or was it a failure here that would count as a resounding pass? The terrifying thing was that Chell didn't know which of these options was the answer. If GLaDOS had been playing these mind games then she would have known which option to pick, but with Prometheus it was a different matter entirely. He may have wanted her to fail, just so he could see how far he could push her. He did say that these Chambers were specifically designed for her, after all, and by that same intention any success here could make future Test Chambers ridiculously hard, and quite well damn-near impossible.

She almost faltered at the second button, but she pressed it none the less. Just in case.

_Who knows? I could even try the same test of endurance on a machine. There are more than enough possible Test Subjects here, thought I do have one particular individual in mind._

_'He must be talking about GLaDOS,' _Chell thought as she successfully reached the third podium, slamming her palm down upon it. _'There is nobody else who it could be, apart from Zeus. Oh.'_

It was Zeus. It had to be. Clearly the android had displeased her overseer, and Prometheus struck her as the type who would be vindictive enough to exact revenge. She knew it because she was just as vindictive herself, and just as keen for revenge. And as the saying goes, _"it takes one to know one"_...

She hit the third button a little harder than she had meant to, as the stinging sensation in her palm told her. But it was just Chell who was in pain, as the quiet "ow" that resonated from the button betrayed the pain that Prometheus too felt.

_'So he can feel pain. That's interesting.' _As Chell passed by the wall of burning lasers, her skin prickling with the intense heat, she made a mental note to stamp her feet harder into the floor when this test was over.

With the fourth button pressed, Chell turned to look at the last two buttons in the sequence. They were back on the other side of the chasm, and she was running out of time. If she had to start this test again then she would – but she wouldn't like it.

Throwing aside her theories about Prometheus not wanting her to complete this Chamber, Chell dove away from another rocket and onto the second thin walkway next to the drop.

_I would advise against looking down. _Prometheus plainly stated, noticing where Chell had temporarily cast her gaze. _It means that you won't be concentrating on the drop that has just opened up in front of you._

Chell turned her head with just enough time to see that two of the panels that formed her path had dropped, leaving a descent into the acid below. She jumped, without even thinking about it, and landed safely on the other side where the penultimate button now stood. _'Perhaps he is trying to kill me after all.' _

_Bravo, _Prometheus clapped through the speakers as she punched the podium. _Only one more button, but the Pellet is marginally ahead of you. You may want to, oh I don't know, speed up?_

Chell looked around for the Pellet and, sure enough, it was almost upon her. She needed to put on a burst of speed, or she would have to do this whole thing again. And she was so close...

Another rocket, another jump. Springing from her feet, the heels of her boots moaning in complaint, Chell bolted towards the last hurdle. The infernal ticking returned, after she had tried so hard to block it out... It wasn't too far now, but the Pellet was level with her, and now it had passed her. An outstretched arm reached for the button, fingers extended as far out as they could.

There was the chirp of the button, a mechanical whir as a panel moved. Chell fell face down on the floor, fearing the worst. But then a familiar and oh-so-welcomed sound met her ears – the sound of both Pellet and receiver becoming one. There were no more rockets, and no explosions. She could just stay on the floor and breathe, and let her muscles relax for a little while. She couldn't feel the smile that spread across her face as her body became comfortably numb. Relief was a beautiful thing.

_Well done, you did it. Now collect the Portal Device and we can continue on to the next Chamber._

Chell ignored him, but stood up to stretch out her aching muscles.

The wall of lasers had vanished, allowing her access to the Heavy Duty Button beyond. After a few more minutes of stretching, Chell made her way to the cube and lifted it. It felt heavy in her tired arms, but she made her way across the chasm and dropped it on the appropriate button. One of the glass panels of the booth next door slipped aside, bidding her access to the precious object within.

It had been a long time since Chell had last set her eyes of the sleek white form that was the Portal Device. With a smile she slid her fingers along the cool exterior, marvelling at just how beautiful it was. It was such a small thing for what it could do, and what it contained; it was a marvel of modern science. And now it was hers – and she would make sure that she didn't loose this one like she had with the other one. How she missed her original Portal Device; it had been with her in her first round of testing, and she had been reunited with it when GLaDOS had decided to throw her down the incinerator chute. Now it was somewhere in space. She dearly hoped that it hadn't been destroyed by some form of satellite or asteroid.

But that had been different. That had been a Testing Device that she had grown too fond of. This device was going to be hers, and that thought alone made her feel invincible.

_I thought it would make sense for this Portal Device to produce dual-portals from the start, _Prometheus said as Chell emerged from the glass booth. Above her the door out of the chamber opened. _Please move on to the next chamber. _

Placing a blue portal next to the door, Chell shot the orange variant into the wall next to her. The gentle hum of both Portals was as soothing as it always had been, and had been something that Chell had sorely missed. Through the orange she could see herself, as she looked down upon her head with a trace of a smile upon her lips. With a quick jump through orange and emerging out of blue, Chell was in the corridor and heading towards the steps where the elevator sat waiting for her to arrive.

She remembered to stamp with each and every footstep as she left.


	40. The Breaking Point

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Sorry about the loooooong wait. I'm using the same excuse as last time, which is probably going to need some updating soon just to keep things exciting and fresh :p . Anyway, I am really sorry. Hopefully, this chapter will make up for it.

Once again, I wrote this in the space of a few hours and it is now half one in the morning for me, so the editing has (once again) gone out of the window (shocker). That's another chapter that will be fixed up in the updates later.

Ooh, and a happy (possibly belated) Thanksgiving to all of ye wonderful Americans out there :) . Most Brits don't have a clue what it's about (me included unfortunately), but I gather it's quite important so I hope you enjoy the day :D .

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><p><span>Chapter Thirty-Nine<span>

The Breaking Point

_She had been walking for so long now that she had forgotten to count just how many days and nights had passed her by. She remembered counting sixteen days and fifteen nights, but that was when night and day began to blur into one long and endless point in time. It was only the change in light colours and sky colour that gave her a rough idea of what time it was. _

_Chell walked and walked with her only companion, the Cube, strapped to her back with some old sheets that she had found in a ruined building. It may have been an inanimate object, and it may not have been able to communicate with her, but at least it was sentient and it actually liked her. But, then again, it was programmed to like everybody. Suddenly that became a rather depressing thought; if it had been given any choice in the matter it would probably hate her too. Because everyone and everything hated her. It had to be true. Why else would she go from one huge misery to another if it were not for the fact that people simply hated her? She made a list of people in her head, noting the reasons for their hatred; the Bay family, because she ruined their research by running away, Wheatley, because she had personally banished him to space, GLaDOS, because that insane machine hated everyone. And of course, her parents. Because she had killed them. Both of them. But only her mother was able to feel any hatred. Chell had stopped believing in the afterlife a long time ago – her father was in no fit state to hate her anymore, because he was gone. _

_Gazing further down the forest-lined road, taking note of the heavy cracks and craters in the tarmac, Chell had never felt so lonely. That psychotic computer had tricked her into leaving Aperture, leading her to believe that she had deleted her mother. But that song had been nothing to do with GLaDOS – that had been the real Caroline Johnson. But GLaDOS knew that Chell would have never left without some kind of final blow, and that had been it. But Chell's thoughts clouded over, and she realised that even her mother would have wanted her out of her sight too. At least she had been kind enough to sing her out on the way. _

_More craters, more broken bits of road. A burnt out old garage in the distance... the sight of destruction had become all too familiar to her now. Chell didn't know what had created this mess, but she was sure that she did not want to know. And the world was so empty now. There were no cars, no humans, no animals. There were a few birds every now and then... and those things: Three-legged titans that lumbered around the countryside, flying creatures with built in propellers, hovering cameras... and other strange and unusual sights. The first time Chell had seen one of these things, it had been the three-legged monstrosity. Her sense of curiosity had told her to investigate, but common sense made her stop. She had already seen the state of the world for herself, and she had the funny feeling that it were these creatures that had played a vital part in ruining the planet. She had no proof yet, but that was what her gut told her. Yet, even with all the uncertainty around her, Chell knew that there was one very bleak truth amongst the confusion: this was no longer the world that she knew. And that terrified her. _

_Chell was slowly beginning to acclimatise to her new forest road when the scene stood stagnant. Chell was moving forwards and ever forwards, but the scene remained the same. Nothing changed. But then a new image faintly overlaid her broken route, the image of one of Aperture's many conference rooms. But there was something wrong. It was the room was only a picture, and one taken in a high definition negative. _

_'Wake up, Miss Johnson. It's time to... open your e-eyes...'_

_And there he was. Tall, thin and as pale as she remembered him. The man with the briefcase. The Stranger. He did not walk towards her, but instead he seemed to drift, his feet never once moving out of place. His gaze was focused solely on her, and Chell wanted so dearly to squirm, but she found that she just couldn't move. She was literally frozen in place. _

_'I understand that your current... circumstances... have become a little diff-icult for you to escape from, but...' he took one long and rasping breath, and a cold smile fluttered briefly on his lips, 'time is... run-ning out, and I'm afraid I must, hm, intervene.'_

_Chell watched as the world around her changed to a blurred, yet somehow clear, Test Chamber. The man had moved, and now stood in the observation room, watching her from beyond the frosted glass. When he spoke, however, he spoke in her ear. 'I u-under-stand that you are unaware of the reasons behind my ongoing... observations of you. B-but, I'm afraid, there is no time for... ex-planations. Remember: time is... short. You need t-to... end this... debacle.' A fainter image of him now appeared in her vision, mirroring everything that his real self did perfectly. If the voice in her ear had not been enough to unsettle her, then this certainly would. And it did. Everything about this situation frightened her. _

_'Just know that y-ou are important, and importance is... well...' he gave a light laugh, nothing more than a breath, 'of great im-port-ance... to me.'_

_Chell felt herself begin to move, millimetres travelled in seconds. Yet the scene around her travelled much faster, speeding away into darkness, leaving only the man behind. From out of the darkness emerged a Test Chamber, and The Stranger slowly dissipated into the air, leaving only his final words to echo inside her mind. _

_'So, wake up, Miss Johnson, and continue test-ing...'_

And so Chell woke her eyes.

She was lying in the open doorway of the seventh Chamber, using part of the Portal Device as a makeshift, and albeit, uncomfortable pillow after waking from her short nap. The Test Chamber from her dream stood in front of her, clean and sanitised and perfect. The bright whites and contrasting darks gave her sleep-deprived head a splitting headache, and the chill in the air seemed unnatural in a facility full of hard-working and heat-generating machines. It had never been cold in here before. Worse than the cold and the pain however, was the feeling of unease settling in her stomach. She tried to convince herself that her dream was just that; a dream, and nothing more. She tried to tell herself that she simply continued to put this man in her nightmares, simply because he was genuinely terrifying. She tried. But she knew he had really been there at the train wreckage. He had been there, and he had not changed one bit. He remained the same age, he remained blue-suited and organised. He retained that perpetual air of malice and contempt. And Chell hated him.

The only question was, why was he following her and how was he invading her inner thoughts? Was this Combine technology? Or was it something all together more mysterious and, by extension, dangerous?

With an audible groan she pushed herself to her knees, rubbing at the aching spot in her neck. She tried to clear her mind of her worried thoughts – after all, there were more pressing matters at hand – but his face, his _eyes_, still haunted her. Why was he following her?

_Ah, you're awake. At last. Now we can continue testing. _

_'It would help if you turned the adrenal vapour on, you bastard.' _Chell's inner thoughts snapped. She couldn't sense the static, but she had the odd feeling that it was in the opposite wall of the Chamber, just watching, just waiting for her to begin this next test.

_I'm waiting._

_'Well you can keep on waiting, can't you?' _Chell stretched her arms before getting to her feet to give her poor legs the same treatment. With her ministrations done, Chell reclaimed the gun from the floor and slowly made her way inside, expecting a test that would see how well she could cope with the concept of pain.

Because there was a pattern to these tests.

The first two tests were designed to measure her tenacity, and the two after that tested her ability to judge time and distance. The sixth test had placed her inside a room that was more like an oven than a research tool, and every surface had been specially designed to burn her – the heat had even travelled up through the soles of her boots and into her feet, and it had dried out the air to the point that it seemed that there was no air to breathe at all.

Secretly, Chell yearned for a return of one of GLaDOS' tests.

_I said I'm waiting. _

During the course of the tests, Prometheus himself had begun to change in his attitude towards her. Gone was the sycophantic tone and the use of her family name and title, replaced instead by an infuriated urgency and the repeated use of another, more frightful title: _The Daughter of Aperture_.

_Please will you continue the tests? _He sounded aggrieved. _I'd appreciate it if we actually got thorough these today. _

_'Why, so you can torture me some more afterwards? So you can do the same thing to Wheatley or something?' _Chell stormed into the chamber, ignoring the tell-tale hiss and click of the locking door behind her, swinging the Portal Device in fury by her side. She headed towards the static, which was hiding in the opposite wall, and gave the form a deadly glare with a snarl to reiterate just how much she hated him. She must have been really angry with him – she was finding it hard to breathe. The air was too heavy in here for her liking.

_Really, you're still acting like this? This ungrateful, spiteful child? After everything I've done for you, you still insist on being so cold. So angry. _

_'You have done nothing for me.' _She growled again, swatting the air with her hand. Her fingers tingled as they passed through Prometheus' residual energy.

_What did I ever do to you? _

_'Let's try kidnapping my best friend for starters...'_

_Perhaps you need a break; a real break, and not one of those power-naps that humans seem so fond of. _

Chell frowned, her lips thinning in contempt. Was she seriously expected to believe that Prometheus would give her any kind of respite, when he had pushed her to the very edge for most of the day and had not given the first thought to her comfort or mindset? How stupid did he think she was?

Beyond the white panels there was the sound of movement outside. Machines whirred into life, moving heavy materials in their wake, and warning bells rang out in the distance. Prometheus himself had moved away from her and back into the space beyond the Test Chamber, possibly even further than that, leaving Chell to her own devices. Alone with her thoughts, Chell turned her attention to the room that she was currently locked inside. She had completely ignored it before, but now she could see that it was simply a plain, square room, with the usual two locked doors. There were no defining features; no buttons to press, no cubes to carry, there were no anti-portal surfaces to add a little variation. The only one feature of the room, other than the multitude of lights, was the one vent in the middle of the ceiling. But that one vent struck fear into her core. There was only one thing that could come out of a vent like that, and that was gas – potentially lethal gas. _'Neurotoxin.'_ Her heart stopped at the thought. She had little chance of escape from this room, and if it was flooded with neurotoxin... Chell didn't want to think about it, but her mind continued to torture her with the terrible thoughts.

And then there was that man. That stranger. Images of her death by neurotoxin entwined with the vision of that man's pale face, together forming the best kind of mental torture that anyone could hope for. _'Maybe that's it. Maybe this is all a mind game. Prometheus is trying to break me. Well he won't! He won't break me!' _She spun on her heel, searching for the static. _'You won't break me! That man doesn't exist! It's you, messing with my mind – it has to be! There's no way somebody could follow me like he's being doing! What have you done to me? What have you given me to make me feel this insane!?' _

_Here..._ A nearby panel moved aside and it was so sudden that even Chell, in her current state-of-mind, jumped in surprise. Beyond the open panel was a new, smaller room that Chell was certain had not been there before. It was dimly lit with a low-powered and gentle light, and soothing music filtered out from the room and into the vast chamber itself. Chell could only make a strangled cry in response.

_Are you alright? You look troubled. Perhaps you really do need that rest after all. _

Chell took her head furiously in response, looking wildly around for an alternate exit. Her head began to ache, and her mind bombarded her with more and more images of that man. She saw him in the train wreck, in a hospital and in a Test Chamber. She saw him in the distant trees at her father's funeral. She saw him in her father's office...

The images changed. She saw her parents as they both struggled to come to terms with her father's ill condition, she saw them together at the side of the Borealis with plans and blueprints in hand...

And then The Stranger again.

He stood not too far away from her, next to the exit door. He rearranged his tie before turning and leaving through the doors that opened only for him.

_Daughter of Aperture? Are you alright? _The words were an echo amongst others, as audible memories all came together in one loud and deafening cacophony of sound. It split her head in pain...

_Daughter? _

The pain... Oh, dear God, the pain! It was not a physical pain, not really, but more of an emotional pain that, as it passed from her brain and into the rest of her body, mutated into an ache that continued to grow. Her heart stabbed her as she played out her parent's final moments in her head.

_Chell? _

His voice made it worse. Why did he sound so concerned? Why had his voice become so worried, yet so warm? And why had the tone and the sound changed?

_Come on, you need to rest. _

Chell's eyes followed the voice and rose to look at the small ante-room beyond the open panel, expecting to see only empty air.

Instead she found her father.

He looked as he had before he had died: his pale, paper-thin skin was drawn over his wasting muscles, and his grey hair had receded to within an inch of its life. He leant forwards as he stood, unable to keep his back straight any longer. But his eyes were alive, and they were full of worry and concern. 'Come on, kiddo.' He held out a trembling hand towards her. 'You're on the edge – I know what that's like, and I don't want you to go through what I did.'

Chell wanted to believe this was all real, but it couldn't be. There was no way, in all of scientific creation, that her father could be stood there now. Instead she huddled on the floor, clamping her hands over her ears in a futile bid to deafen out the sounds inside her head.

Inside her head. This was all in her head. It had to be.

'Chell?' He was walking towards her now, his hand still extended. 'Come on, sweetheart. You need some rest.' He paused as she shook her head, sobbing silently in pain. Oh God, why was she even here? Who put her here?

His hands were holding onto her shoulders now, and she felt a warm and uncomfortable tingle run through the area immediately around her. 'Listen to me, Chell. Go in there and get some sleep. I won't leave you, I swear.'

_'But you promised you couldn't leave before. You promised you wouldn't die, and you did!' _Another sob. _'How can I believe you? You're not even here. You're gone.' _

'Chell?'

'N... n...' She felt a sound escape her throat; a painful attempt at forming words. Her throat burned in agony at the effort, but she had to say it. She had to be heard.

'Chell? What... what is it?'

'No... reh...' It was more of a breath than actual words, but she could feel her vocal chords working hard to make her speak. 'Y... you.' She watched as her father's eyes widened in surprise. That had been her first spoken word in so many years. He smiled and gave her shoulders an encouraging squeeze. 'Go on, kiddo. Go on...'

'You... no... reh...' Chell struggled with the last word, but after several more attempts, she forced out her final blow. 'Re-hal.'

Her father was a still as stone and stunned into silence. Chell bared her teeth, breathing out her statement one last time. 'You... no re-hal.'

'But I am! I am, Chell, I swear. Look, I'm here right now!' One of his hands moved to her cheek. 'I'm here. I'm real. Kiddo, it's me.'

'No re-hal!'

With the last ounce of her throat's strength, Chell repeated her statement with a tone of finality. Her father leant back, hurt, and moved out of her line of sight until she could no longer hear his footsteps. Free of her father's shade, she was left alone with her painful thoughts once more.

They came thick and fast now, growing more and more intense and loud. The pain in her head was too much now, and white spots filled her vision, growing wider and brighter until all she could see was white. The pain culminated into one bright hot searing pain, she felt vomit rise up her throat, and then the pain vanished. Her head was uncomfortably light and she felt as though she were falling. Falling, and ever falling. And then the blackness.

In the mainframe hub all was an uncomfortable silence. Zeus had fallen into some kind of depressed silence, and Wheatley was too busy trying to uncover buried memories to even care. He only wanted to hear some news about Chell, and to remember what it was that Doug had told him all those years ago. So far, neither desire had been fulfilled. Then again, Wheatley was no stranger to disappointment, but that didn't mean that he had to like it, nor that he had to get used to it.

With a brief glance in Zeus's direction, Wheatley tried to recall exactly what it was that Doug had said to him. He could not hear the words, but instead he understood the general idea of what had been said. Well, some of it. Of course, he couldn't remember the most important bits. _'Sod's law,'_ he thought, bitterly, biting the inside of his cheek in frustration.

More minutes passed in silence before a voice broke the silence. Prometheus had returned, much to Wheatley and Zeus' displeasure. _Well, I'm back. Did anything happen while I was gone?_

'What do you think?' Zeus was the first to speak. 'Of course nothing happened.'

_Good. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to stay here for a while. A little R and R, so to speak. _

'Where's Chell?'' The android snapped, twisting in the wires so that he faced the mainframe tower. 'What have you done to her?'

_She's sleeping. I had one of the security bots put her in a side chamber. She was doing very well in those tests until about twenty minutes ago. She failed that test. _

'What did you do to her!?'

_I've been putting her through a series of chambers designed to test her strengths and her limits. The first tests that studied her tenacity were a complete success, as were the ones designed to study her judgement. Those results were wonderful. The first test in gauging her pain threshold was also successful. This second test, however... well, as I said, it was a failure._

'WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER, YOU BASTARD!?'

Wheatley flinched as Zeus roared in anger. Yes, he was furious too, and he wanted to know what had happened to Chell, but Zeus' rage was on a whole different level to his. If Prometheus wasn't scared of him, then clearly the A.I was more insane then he originally thought.

_I simply filled the chamber with an hallucinogenic gas. My idea was to put her not only through physical pain, but mental agony as well. She can clearly cope with physical pain. Her state of mind, however, leaves a lot to be desired. And that worries me..._

'How dare you do that to her! How dare you even touch her! When I get out of here, I swear to God I will make you pay for what you've done to her!'

_Oh? Like the time you swore to make The Traitor pay for his crimes? You failed, didn't you? I seem to remember that you failed to protect The Daughter Of Aperture then, too. What kind of... well... you know. She would be better off with somebody else as..._

'WILL SOMEBODY BLOODY TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON, PLEASE!?'

Wheatley saw Zeus turn to look at him, and he could have sworn that he felt Prometheus' gaze turn to him as well. But he didn't care for their glances: he wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

_I don't seem to remember inviting you to join in our conversation, Fool. _Prometheus sounded bitter.

'Yeah? Well I've got news for you, mate. You didn't. I invited myself. Now what the Hell is going on?'

_Be quiet._

'Be quiet?' He replied incredulously. 'Be quiet? Are you kidding me? You abducted me, and you're expecting me to keep quiet? Are you completely insane?'

_Are you completely stupid? _

'I asked you a question first, so answer it!'

_I don't have to give you the dignity of an answer. _

'I'll keep asking if I have to!'

'I wouldn't if I were you,' Zeus warned, 'he can crush you in that thing.' He nodded at the pincer that held Wheatley in a tight grip.

_I'd listen to him if I were you. He may be a sentimental old fool, but at least he's smart. _

Wheatley growled in reply.

_Oh, another growler. Just wonderful. The Daughter growls at me too. She _must_ have learnt that trick from you, Fool. _Wheatley didn't offer him an answer, suddenly feeling a little crushed inside the pincer's grip. He may have been imagining the extra pressure that it was exerting on his body, but he didn't want to risk it.

_And you..._ Prometheus had turned back to Zeus, jolting the android with a sudden rush of pain. _Don't go having any ideas about escaping. So far I've been lucky, but I know you. You are just as cunning, clever and cheating as me. If there's a chance for you to exploit something, you will. I just know it. _

'And what else would I do? Just hang around here while you ruin my...' He caught himself, garbling out a string of nonsense words at the send of his sentence. Wheatley raised an eyebrow out of curiosity. 'Your what, Zeus?'

'Butt out of it, kid.'

'There's something you're not telling me, something important.I know it because I can feel it in my brain, somewhere. I just need to find it. So why don't you just do us all a favour and tell me what that thing is right now?'

'There is nothing that you need to know, Morrison.'

There was a pause, as brief as it was, before Zeus turned back to Prometheus for another round of raised voices, just as Wheatley asked him to repeat what he had said. He'd called him Morrison; there had been no use of his title, no use of his first name like the Vortigaunt race were so fond of. No one had called him that in a long time, and only a few people ever had.

He'd had enough of these games.

Blocking out as much of the world around him as he could, Wheatley forced himself to try and recall the memory of Doug handing him all of this forgotten information, but the more he forced the more intangible it became. He could literally feel his brain pushing it further and further away from the surface, and it was driving him mad. But he couldn't just hang here and not think about it – what if he ignored the memory and it never came back? No, he had to think of something, and he had to think of it fast, because he knew that there was something important about Zeus, something that could help to salvage this awful situation and turn it around and into their favour.

_'Maybe Doug left some clues or something?' _He only hoped that he had, but he doubted it. _'Whatever happened to him anyway?' _Wheatley continued to think away his life, coming up with escape plans that would never work, and he knew that they wouldn't work. They were dangerous and unworkable at best. But if he could get out of here, then maybe, just maybe, he could get to Doug's old office and find out what the Hell was going on here.

With a sigh he bit his lip. It was going to have to be one good plan to get him and Chell out of this mess alive.

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><p><span>AN: Chell's on the edge, man... Poor girl, I feel bad about putting her through all of this rubbish :c .


	41. Crash And Burn

Author's Note: Hello, everybody! Hope you all had a good holiday season :3 . Well, I'm really sorry this one took so long, but I've had an increase in hours at work, and when I get home I either want to chill or work on my novel, so fanfiction hasn't really been at the forefront of my mind recently. But, a few of you have been asking where this got to, and so here we are! The usual excuses in regards of spelling and grammar are concerned here. The last two pages I just finished tonight, so I'm putting it out in it's raw state. Hopefully, it's not that bad and I'm just imagining the worst.

I'll give you the head's up on this - I'm not quitting this fanfiction, which seems to be worrying a few of you. It's just my novel is of the greater importance, so chapters for this story may be a little more sparse than what I and others had hoped for. I'll try to get one a month done, but it may become less depending on what happens over here on the business end.

I've also got a Tumblr account now ( ), on which I can answer questions in regards to this story if you'd like to ask one.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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><p><span>Chapter Forty-One<span>

Crash And Burn

On the morning of her father's death, Chell had woken to an unshakable feeling of dread. At the time she had believed that it was because she had heard her parent's fighting, as she had lazily rubbed away the sleep from her eyes. They were always fighting back then, whilst that horrible Lucian man goaded them on from the sidelines. Chell had become so used to it that she now dismissed the dread, believing it to be the next step in a gradual progression of bad feelings that sprang from her mother's and father's arguments. But the dread – the terrible, fear-striking emotion that made her feel so alone, so miserable and so cold inside – was for something else. It had been a warning: it was telling her about her father and the gel.

The more she thought about it, the more she realised that this was not a stand-alone occurrence. She had felt it before her father died, before her mother had died. She felt it the day that she was drugged and taken to the orphanage. She had felt it several times whilst at the orphanage, and another several during her time with the Bay family and whilst she was homeless.

Her mother and father had once told her that, as a baby, she had cried for an hour before either of them had left to go on a business trip, and that she would not stop being upset until exactly an hour before their return, when she had been taken to the airport to greet them. They had laughed and said it were as though she had some kind of sixth-sense, something which her father had bad-mouthed soon after. It seemed as though she may have felt the dread then too.

But now Chell knew what it was. She did not know how, but she knew what these feelings meant, even if it seemed there were no real reason for them to haunt her. The dread meant that somewhere, someone or something important to her was about to face something terrible, or she was going to be separated from them.

And she felt it now.

With an aching mind and the cold chill of fear, Chell opened her eyes to find herself inside the little ante-room of the Test Chamber that she had previously been locked inside. Feeling light-headed and sick, she pushed herself into the nearest wall and sat there with her back against the rough but cool plaster.

She had no idea as to how she had come to be in this room, nor did she understand the age-worn graffiti left by Doug, but she knew that she didn't like being this clueless. Prometheus, it seemed, was chipping away at every last shred of strength that she had, and the hallucinations that he had now obviously caused her proved that. He had put her through physical pain, and the last test had put her through mental agony.

With a shaky yawn she found her Portal Device – which had, once again, doubled as a pillow – and rubbed at the stiffness in her neck. She didn't feel right; Chell was no stranger to aches and pains, but even this exhaustion was beyond her. It made even the smallest scratch feel like an infected, gaping wound.

She'd had enough of this. All she needed was an opportunity to run, to implement her plan, and then she'd have a chance at finding both her mother and Wheatley, and to take down the bodiless bastard that was Prometheus once and for all. She may even give GLaDOS the benefit of the doubt and forgive her for her past behaviour, but that all depended on just how charitable Chell was feeling at the time.

For now, however, she knew that she needed to find Wheatley and her mother, and quickly for that matter. The gut-feeling of dread meant that no good would come of today if she didn't act quickly. Maybe there would be a way out in the next Chamber? She could only hope. If not, she'd just have to make one for herself.

Stepping out into the room beyond, and squinting against the brightness, Chell was immediately greeted by a cheerful, but wary voice. _Ah, good. I was starting to worry, Daughter. _

Chell resisted the urge to snarl, but only because she was worried that she would throw up if her mouth so much as twitched.

_I stayed here all day, apart from a brief two hours in which I attended to other business, you understand. I would, however, like to point out that your health and safety is of the utmost importance to me, regardless of what you believe my past actions may have portrayed. _

The door out of the chamber opened, leading her down the stairs and towards a waiting elevator.

_I do hope we can put this terrible experience behind us and get back to work._ Chell ignored him as she moved into the glass confines of her ride down, travelling deeper into the earth, passing power cables and lights until she came to a complete stop at the next chamber foyer. _For posterity's sake, we'll do some standard tests for now. We can both enjoy those. Like old times, Daughter. But without _her_ of course. She isn't here to get in our way now. _

It was with a forced resolve that Chell marched between elevator and door, her Portal Device slung on her shoulder, acting as though she were the epitome of confidence, when really, deep down, she was terrified and completely under-confident. She had never felt so out of her depth, so out of control.

It was as the doors opened that Prometheus gleefully announced, _I thought we'd start back at the basics, _that Chell saw the simple, pure bright white, one-buttoned, one-cubed test that lay before her.

This had to be a trick. He couldn't be serious..?

_As I said, the basics. Just for a while, though. Just to help you wake up. I don't want you to pass out on me like that again. It's not very good for the results of the test. _

_'Your concern is overwhelming,' _Chell thought with a bitter click of her tongue, lifting the cube effortlessly with the device before dropping it onto the button. With a familiar beep, Chell turned to find her exit had opened up to her, leading her not to another elevator, but into another chamber. One that was exactly the same as this one. _'You've got to be kidding me.'_

_And the next one please? I'll even give you some smooth jazz this time, if you'd like. _

_'Piss off.' _

_Go on,_ he goaded, trying to convince Chell to move from her spot, _remember, we're doing this for the results. After your little incident we need a few good chambers under our belt. With no mistakes._

_'Again, piss off.' _

_I said _move. Chell felt her back connecting with a panel as Prometheus flipped it out of place, pushing her into the next room as the door slammed shut in her wake. _The test. Do it. _

Feeling her way towards the static, close to the observation room window, she took a swipe at the disembodied voice and snarled. But it was strange, the static felt as though it had a form. It had certainly gained a human's height. _And again with the violence. Just do the test. _

But Chell didn't continue. Instead she raised a hand to feel the static, trying to gauge whether her initial thoughts were correct. Yes, that was definitely a head... a shoulder... a chest. When had the formless Prometheus become so tangible? Was this a trick as well, or was she still feeling the effects of whatever gas it was that he had used on her?

_If you would stop being stupid and continue?_

That word. It filled her with so much boiling hatred, so much venom, that she opened her mouth to form a snarl, ready to swipe at him again, but instead of a snarl there was a yelp. A yelp that sounded very similar to the words "shut" and "up", rolled into one sound.

And that was because it was. She had spoken, for real this time, and not in a drug-induced fantasy.

Stepping away from Prometheus, Chell held onto her throat and tried again. Sure enough there were words there. Real words. They were husky, and it hurt to utter them, but they were words. And even in this most difficult, emotional and stressful moment, she smiled. She could speak again. She felt, dare she think it, hopeful.

_Well I'm very glad that you can make some other noise than a snarl now, but we really must continue. I'm getting bored, the results are a mess, and the real tests aren't finished yet. The next elevator will have probably become dysfunctional by the time you get there... wait, what..?_

Chell's sudden compliance had caught him off guard, because she had moved on into the next chamber, once again the same as before, before he had the chance to register the beep of a completed test amidst his many thoughts. _Well, I'm glad that we've come to an agreement. _

But Chell wasn't listening. She'd had an idea. An idea brought on by her change in mindset, and by Prometheus himself. Positive thoughts were a powerful tool, apparently. What she needed to do was to get out of these chambers and back to an elevator. When she was there, well, she would have to sacrifice her safety, but it would be worth it. She'd be free, even if it meant she would not be in one piece.

Test after test was the same. More buttons, more cubes. More empty observation windows, and Prometheus following her into every room, watching her every move under the cold, harsh light. _I really don't know what to say about your sudden enthusiasm, although it's not unwelcome. Just a few more tests like these, and then we'll be back on track. Just make sure you don't make a mess of things again. _

_'You haven't seen me make a mess yet. Just wait until we get to that elevator.' _

_Although, I suppose every experiment must have failures. No. They can't. I'm wrong. They need to be perfect, so that nothing goes wrong. I'll just build a few more of these tests, just to make sure your brain hasn't completely failed you. _

_'You'll do no such thing,' _Chell frowned, turning to the static with a snarl, _'I'm getting out of here now.'_

But the vanishing static, the groan of not so distant machines and the, rumble under her feet told Chell that Prometheus was going through with his own plan. She'd just have to sit tight whilst that idiot tried to make her life more unbearable, more monotonous, more stressful...

A deafening crash. Chell's feet left the floor, and her body with them. Panels howled under pressure, buckling under the pressure pushed against them. _No! That wasn't meant to happen! What did you do to me? _Chell landed on her side, her Portal Device sliding down the now angled floor, whilst she followed in a slow, sluggish pursuit, friction slowing her descent. There were more screams of metal under strain, of the Test Chamber falling to pieces around her, leading her further and further away from the elevator. This had never been a part of her plan...

_WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, YOU MURDEROUS BITCH!? _Chell wanted to scream back at him, tell him that she hadn't done this, but she was too busy trying to grab her device as both of them slid towards the quickly crumbling wall below. Through the existing damage she could see other makeshift Test Chambers, the dark drop into the abyss of the old salt mines, and quite possibly the acid contained there in. She needed to grab something – anything!

_WHAT DID YOU DO!? _

With a squeal of collapsing supports Chell neared the end, the wall collapsing completely as mechanical arms failed and the panels came apart at the seams. Turning in her roll, Chell reached out for anything, everything, trying to find something to hold, something that would save her life... and then her feet cleared the floor, free to the air and empty space. Then her shins, her knees, her thighs... this was it, she was going to die...

And then she grabbed something. Or, in reality, something grabbed her. She heard an urgent chirp somewhere above her, followed by a low grumble, and then she was lifted. Opening her eyes, she had time to see Atlas pulling her to onto the safety of walkway, whilst P-Body clutched her Portal Device safely in it's arms. What were they doing here? Prometheus couldn't have sent them, surely? This wasn't another trick? An illusion? It was only when she was standing, looking into the abyss below, that she knew that it was reality: Prometheus may have harmed her, but he didn't want her dead, and she could have died, quiet easily if it had not been for these two robots.

P-Body gave her an enthusiastic gurgle before pulling the woman into a tight embrace, something which Atlas followed. Chell, now sandwiched between them, tried her best to return the favour, and was soon relinquished so that she could take back her device.

_YOU! YOU TRAITORS! _Prometheus boomed, somewhere nearby. _I should have known. I should have known you'd disobey me! You were too pally with that Fool. I'll finish you both, and then I'll finish him, and then The Daughter and I can go back to our Testing! _

Before Chell had the chance to gesticulate towards the unfelt static, the two robots were leading her away, sprinting down the corridor and into the offices beyond. But it was no use, he was still following them. _I'll kill you both! Stop leading The Daughter astray! She is science! She needs to be tested! _No matter how fast, no matter where they ran, Prometheus followed, smashing panelled walls together, throwing crushers against the walls as soon as the robots neared them. Chell knew that if this didn't stop then her metallic saviours wouldn't stand a chance. She needed to implement the plan for the elevator here and now. She needed smoke. She needed fire.

Fire... Where could she get fire... She needed chemicals, or matches, or something to make a flame, or gas... _'Bunsen burners.'_

Pulling on what she supposed were the robot's shoulders, Chell forced out the word "labs" several times until they realised what it was that she was trying to say. With a quick change of direction they were off down a new route, avoiding panels and crushers and... up on the highest walkway, speeding quickly towards them, a bright burning purple light through the murk. Metal feet on a metal walkway. _'Security bots.' _

The last time she had faced these was before her incarceration in stasis, thanks to Lucian Johnson. She had fought off so many of these things with kicks, punches and acrobatic moves, but now she didn't want to face them. She didn't even want to know they were there. But as the bot pounced, leaping from its vantage point towards the robots below, Chell pulled her companions out of its reach so that it crashed onto the walkway, leaving her enough time to vault it over the railings and into the abyss.

'Come!' She chocked, waving for them to follow, and follow they did, as she led them into the labs. With a quick manoeuvre of furniture, the door was barricaded off, leaving only the windows clear as more security bots gathered outside the door. Below the windows was another walkway that led in the direction of the real Enrichment Centre. The perfect escape.

A quick search of the desks and drawers soon gave her what she needed; a box full of matches. Now all she needed was the gas for the Bunsen burners. Hopefully, with any luck, the gas wouldn't have leaked out years ago. Hopefully the Aperture technology would have made sure that it remained contained inside its storage. And she was in luck, as she turned on the main feed and opened up all the taps that she could find. The faint hiss and smell of gas slowly filled the room, and Chell had to cover her mouth and nose to escape the noxious fumes, but so far the plan was going perfectly. Passing the Portal Device to P-Body, she picked up the nearest chair and flung it at the window, where it broke the glass with a satisfying smash. 'Go!'

The robots didn't wait for a second warning, leaping onto the walkway below. Chell leaped too, but as she did she turned and landed on her toes, striking away at three matches before one lit. Stuffing it back inside the box and closing it up, she hurled it back through the window and followed quickly in pursuit of Atlas and P-Body.

The explosion did what it had to do. Sirens rang out, flames erupted, and smoke billowed out from beyond the now ruined lab. Water rained down from the ceiling as the sprinklers dripped into life. _What are you doing, you mindless lunatic!? _Prometheus cried, now that he had found them again. _You're ruining my facility – your home! Our home! You... you're useless! Dangerous! You're no good to science, you are a mistake! A... a... mis...ta... ke. Wha... you... do? _

And then he was gone – his static lost to the nullifying ambience.

With a cry of delight, Chell and the robots danced, jumped and clapped. Hugs were exchanged, high-fives were slapped, and sounds of relief fluttered through the air, weaving with the sirens.

But there time for celebration was short lived. _**Warning: Aperture Central Mainframe has been shutdown. Switching to emergency power now. Back up generators will last approximately thirty minutes. All reactor safeguards are now non-functional. The risk of reactor meltdown is currently at 87 per-cent. **_

The lights blinkered in and out of existence until everything went dark, save for the glow of Atlas and P-Body's optics. Then a deep and heavy red of the emergency lights flickered into life. _** Please be advised that the surface will also be destroyed along with this facility, and three-quarters of the United States Of America. Please report to an Aperture Science Emergency Escape Unit for further information. **_

_'Crap,' _Chell hissed at herself, _'I didn't really think this through did I?' _

But P-Body was already pulling at her arm to follow, and Chell did as she was advised, chasing after the robots and marvelling at the amount of cuts and blood on her arms. It seemed that she hadn't missed the edges of the broken glass like she had originally thought.

Chell continued to follow where the robots led, with no clue as to where they were going. This part of the facility was alien to her, as her parents had forbidden her from entering this place as it was constructed. Yet she was in no doubt that they were leading her to Wheatley. Now they just needed to find him, and then get to GLaDOS as quickly as they could.

If anybody could fix this problem then GLaDOS could, and Wheatley was the only one here that could reactivate her.

'What the Hell happened?' Wheatley cried as he tried to push himself from his knees. 'Why are the safeguards down?'

'How the Hell should I know?' Zeus spat in reply, struggling to free himself from his now lowered bonds. He may be able to escape them now, but that didn't mean that he couldn't escape their knots quite so easily. 'I only know that Chell's still out there. She should be here. That was the plan!'

'I know that was the plan – but obviously they must have run into some, I dunno, minor complications...'

'Minor complications? The facility is going to explode, and that's minor?'

'Stop yelling at me!'

'Stop being a moron!'

'Wait, say that again?'

'Why? Though you really are a moron...'

'That's it!'

'What?'

Wheatley wobbled over to where Zeus lay, tangled within the cables, and scowling up at Wheatley with complete disdain. 'Come on,' Wheatley heaved, pulling away some of the wires so that Zeus could finally free himself. 'We need to get to GLaDOS. If we turn her on, we can stabilise everything.'

'What about Chell?'

'She'll probably be there. Blue and Orange will know what to do.'

Personally, Cave wasn't convinced that those two idiots could protect his daughter. 'I'll go and find her myself.'

'Zeus, I might need you. Besides, she has Blue and Orange. Chell will be fine.'

'I'm not leaving without Chell!'

'She isn't a baby! She is more than capable of looking after herself – why can't you figure that out?'

Zeus fell silent, sighed, and followed Wheatley as they made their way out of the mainframe room. 'Honestly, I don't know why you care about her so much,' Wheatley commented, using his hands to feel what his eyes failed to see in the dark red lighting. 'You're only her bodyguard. Well, you were. I don't understand it myself.'

Zeus sighed again, 'It's complicated, Morrison. Just know that I care about her, and that's all that matters.'

'Yeah, but I care about her too, but I don't insist on treating her like she's a child – like she's going to get herself hurt all the time.'

'You don't understand, Morrison.'

'No, you're right. I don't.'

'She'd just... she's important to me.'

'You talk as though you love her.' He paused. 'You don't, do you? Because, that could get awkward...'

'No, not like that. I'll leave that to you.'

Wheatley blushed. He could just about see his glasses begin to mist up from the heat of his body against the chill of the air. Zeus, however, remained stoic as he spoke. 'I've noticed how you look at her. How you act around her. I saw it when you were kids too. Smitten is the word, I think.'

'Well, I, you know... she's very, er... hang on. What do you know about our childhood?'

'Memory playback.' Zeus quickly lied, but to Wheatley it was complete truth. 'Prometheus forced me to watch yours and Chell's memories.'

'Oh yeah. Forgot about that.'

But then Wheatley found himself pushed up against the wall, pinned by a metal body. Zeus' glare was unwavering as he glared into Wheatley's eyes. 'I swear to God, Morrison if you ever hurt her, I will beat you to within an inch of your life. Understand?' He shook Wheatley by the collar to emphasize the point.

'Yes sir, Mr Zeus, sir.' With that he was dropped unceremoniously to the floor.

'Good. She's still too good for you though.'

Wheatley didn't doubt it.


	42. The Return

Author's Note: Hi, guys! Surprise! The new chapter is_ finally_ up. I'm just sorry it took so long, and I haven't really got an excuse this time (because writer's block is not something that should stop you, really, and being distracted by Tomb Raider and Minecraft isn't a brilliant excuse either).

Well, the first thing you may have noticed is the change in speech marks. I've noticed that most publishers seem to like these better than the others, and so I'm trying to get myself into good habits. It shouldn't ruin it for anyone, but if it does then just let me know and I'll try to get a copy of my original setup to you.

Secondly, I'm not very fond of the second half of this chapter. Hopefully you guys will like it, but I found myself rewriting it constantly.

Thirdly, enjoy :D .

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Forty-Two<span>

The Return Of Space

"Right. Okay. Well, we're lost, and it's dark."

"I'd noticed."

"Well I don't see you doing anything to help. Haven't you got a light or something?"

"I don't have an in-built flashlight."

"Hmph. I did."

"And you used it once. I guess that makes you an expert, does it?"

Wheatley turned in the dim lighting to face the android behind him with a scowl, a glare that Zeus returned in full. The two of them had been walking in silence since Zeus had released Wheatley from the wall, and that had been about ten minutes ago. By Wheatley's process of elimination, they had roughly fifteen minutes to find GLaDOS and reactivate her.

Personally, Wheatley now only wished that he had kept quiet; they had made better, faster, progress, and silence was far preferable to arguing with that horrible mechanical beast following him - the same beast who had not, thus far, tripped into or walked into a wall, who had not struggled to find paths in the thick shadows. Wheatley couldn't be sure, but he had suspicions that Zeus was able to see in the dark.

Yet Zeus, of course, would never admit that he could.

With no idea as to what direction they were headed, Wheatley sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Without a distraction, his mind replayed the robot's words over and over again, like some demonic tape recording that refused to be turned off: 'She's still too good for you.' If Zeus had wanted to make Wheatley this upset – this paranoid – then he had succeeded.

"What are you sulking about now?" The android snapped, as though on cue, "and how about picking up the pace?"

"I can't see where I'm going!" Wheatley snarled. "If you're so clever, why don't you lead the way?"

"I don't know this part of the facility. It was built after I was... removed, so to speak."

Wheatley frowned, squinting into the darkness, as he breathed in a hushed voice, "I wish you'd stayed removed."

"I can hear you, you know. Moron."

"I am not a moron!"

"Yes you are. You're also not good enough for Chell. I thought I'd reiterate that point."

"Oh, we're still going on about that, are we?"

Rushed footsteps were all that Wheatley needed to know that Zeus was circling around him, ready to cut him off. With surprising grace and balance, Wheatley dodged the android's body, arcing around his build so that they would not collide. Yet, for all of his best efforts, poor Wheatley was still pulled back, and choked, by the collar of his jumpsuit. Zeus glared at him, his optic an angry pin-prick red. "Yes. We are."

"You really need to prioritise, mate," Wheatley pulled his collar free of the android's grasp. "The bloody facility is going to blow up, and you still want to pull me up on that? It's a little worrying, if you ask me. Not to mention stupid. Short-sighted."

"Hah! Don't make me laugh. Coming from you, that has to be some kind of joke!"

"I'm not joking! We'll all die if we don't do something, and you're just causing more trouble than you're worth." Wheatley turned on his heel and marched off in the direction that they had been headed. "You're dangerous. I can't understand why Doug built you in the first place," Wheatley looked over his shoulder with yet another scowl. "I mean, what have you done, eh? You were suppose to protect Chell. Just look where she is now, and what's happened to her. If you'd done your job right then we wouldn't be in this mess right now, and Chell would be happy."

"Shut the Hell up, Morrison."

"Don't like hearing the truth, do you?"

"That isn't the truth."

"Yes! Yes it bloody is! You just don't want to admit it – You. Are. Useless!

"Who was it that came up with our escape plane, eh?" Wheatley's restrained fury was creeping free, transforming into wildly gesticulating arms and quivering speech. His usually friendly demeanour had been replaced by someone who looked positively feral. "Who asked Blue and Orange to go and break Chell out when Prometheus was distracted? Who saved Chell from the antlions? Hm? You were either not there, or you were there but you did absolutely nothing. Zilch. You just hung there on the sidelines, moaning about everything and feeling sorry for yourself."

In a flurry of white arms, Zeus had knocked Wheatley to the ground, where he now pinned the human with his one knee and arms. It was all that Wheatley could do but desperately gasp for air, but he found that very little of it managed to enter his lungs under both Zeus's weight and the sounds of panic that tumbled from his mouth. Above him, the optic of a raging android was all but non-existent, as the pin-prick of light shrank even further into the glass. "You don't know a damn thing, Morrison. You don't know what I've been through for her. You don't know how much I've suffered, because I had to watch Chell and Caroline go through Hell."

"G-get..."

"No!" Zeus shook Wheatley's collar with a terrific force. "You just shut up and listen, boy!"

_**Warning: Core overheating. Back-up generators will last approximately ten minutes. Please evacuate the facility immediately. **_

"Gerroff!" With a silent thank you to the announcement system, Wheatley was able to shove a stunned Zeus from atop him and scrambled to his feet. "For God's sake, I have to fix this!" Looking over his shoulder as he broke into an all out sprint, he could just about see Zeus searching his neck for the Companion Cube charm, his optical covers closing in relief as he held it between his fingers. But Wheatley didn't have the time to think about how odd that behaviour seemed. He had to get to GLaDOS, and quickly.

His feet didn't stop. Even though he crashed into walls in the dark, though he tripped over low pipes and wires, and the pain of cramp began in the muscles of his calves, Wheatley ran. He had no idea where Zeus was, and he was glad of it. The further he was from that machine the better. He hated him so much. But, strangely enough, at the same time, he found him familiar, and something about that familiarity made him want to like him. There was the image of that face in his mind, but still he couldn't quite see it. The more he tried to focus on that sandy hair, those oddly-familiar eyes, the more they became indistinct.

_**Warning: five minutes until back-up generator failure. Please refer to your shared copy of the evacuation procedural documentation for further information. **_

"_Oh God, oh God, oh God..."_ Wheatley rounded a corner, leaping through a slow opening security door at the first chance he got. He emerged onto a walkway, high above a massive web of similar constructions that led in all directions. In the distance he could just about see the Central A.I. Chamber, but it was so far away that it was the faintest of outlines. _"I'm never going to make it." _

"Morrison!" With a jump, Wheatley looked down to the walkway below, where he found Zeus tinkering with an Excursion Funnel generator. "Come on! We can get there faster this way."

"Where the Hell did you come from?"

"I took a detour and found this." The android replied as the machine sparked into life and the gentle blue funnel flowed soon after, carrying Zeus in its wake. "Jump, you idiot!"

Normally, Wheatley would have thought about this situation in a little more detail first, coupled with his own internal monologue, but right now jumping really was the only viable option. With a deep breath he held his glasses to his nose and vaulted over the railing, letting out a howl as the funnel came closer and he still felt as though he were falling. A cool sensation ran through his nerves, one that made him shiver, and he closed his eyes, the falling sensation never once leaving him. But a strange, calming sensation had washed over him, as though he were in the company of a good friend who could soothe his nerves. "Morrison," he heard Zeus' exasperated voice beside him, "you're fine. You can open your eyes."

And so he did.

He saw the light blue waves before his eyes first, and the tiny particles of now-safe asbestos follow them. He still felt as though he were falling, and looking below did nothing to help quell that sensation, but he was safe, caught inside the strange gravitational pull of the funnel. He had to hand it to Cave Johnson – he may have been unlikable, but his creations were second to none.

"I always wanted to see what this was like for myself," Zeus seemed to chuckle beside him, "and now I know."

"You haven't used them before?"

"Nope. I was around for their creation, never got to try them."

"I see." Wheatley craned his neck to see the that the walkways that both he and Zeus had been using were now heading off in different directions, but their funnel cut through the gaps between the metal constructions perfectly, taking full advantage of the spaces therein. Yes, this was definitely a good plan. "Okay, I'll admit, this plan is genius," Wheatley turned to Zeus with a nod, "but how did you catch me up?"

"I can run faster than you," the android replied, as he too looked at their surroundings. "That, and where you took a left, I took a right. I knew there were some funnel generators in one of the rooms further down that corridor. I suppose listening to Prometheus all day does have some kind of advantage."

Wheatley resisted the urge to smile, reminding himself of just how volatile the android had been to him not so long ago.

"I just had to rearrange one of them so it would take us to GLaDOS. If I've calculated this right then we should be able to alight on top of one of those glass walkways into her chamber."

"I hope you planned it right then."

_**Back-up generators failing. Please enter security administration passkey in any terminal to switch to secondary back-up generators. **_

"What?" Wheatley snapped, looking up to the ceiling many stories up above them. This place had a second set of generators, and nobody had thought to make them activate automatically? How come he had never heard of this? "Why don't they just turn them on now?"

"Because they're unstable," Zeus replied sagely, and with a tone to his voice that would have suggested a grimace if he had been in possession of a mouth. "They are literally the last resort."

"Why?" Wheatley asked with trepidation in his voice. "What do they run on?"

"Individual, miniaturised nuclear reactors that only go online when the key is entered. They use the last of the facilities power to do it, but that power is only enough to kick start the engines, so to speak. As a result there are no safeguards on those things."

"Oh good God."

"You asked."

With one glance at the quickly looming Central Core Chamber, Wheatley turned back to Zeus with a grim determination in his eyes. "So, if I hack the system, how long will those generators give us?"

"As an estimation I'd say one more hour, if they don't blow everything up in the meantime. And you don't need to hack them – I know the code."

Wheatley scowled. "How?"

"That is for me to know, not you."

"I'd feel better if you told me."

"You're not getting anything out of me, Morrison. Stop trying."

"But you're not admin!"

"And I said shut it!"

"Look you, I... oh, the walkway."

Zeus followed Wheatley's change in gaze to find that there was indeed a walkway coming closer and closer to them in the horizontal position as he had planned. It was now or never, otherwise the funnel would overrun the small amount of space that they had. "Now what do we do?" Wheatley asked, as he too noted how small an opportunity there was. But Zeus had an idea. "Wait here."

Cave gently and slowly pushed himself towards the edge of the funnel, running calculations through his head to give him the exact time that he should throw himself out, towards the glass and the frame that held it. If he could grab that frame, he could break the glass and pull Morrison in from the other side. He just had to wait three more seconds. Two seconds. One.

And he fell. He heard Morrison yelp in horror somewhere above him as he held out his arms and braced his fingers for impact. He felt the pain shoot through his limbs, struggling for grip on what little surface area there was, but he held on regardless. Now just to climb up, to hold onto the vertical frame, which he did with surprising ease, and smash the glass. With a crash the glass gave way under his fist and the rest followed as his body pushed through the weak spot. The glass opposite faced a similar fate and before Cave knew it Wheatley was just above him.

Wheatley, understandably, did not want to fall out of the funnel. He didn't quite trust Zeus' promise that he would catch him but, once again, what other choice did he have? None. With the biggest intake of breath he had ever taken, Wheatley held out his arms, struggled to free himself of the funnel's pull, and fell. He dared not open his mouth to scream, as much as he wanted to; as much as his mind told him to. He didn't want to loose his breath. Instead he clenched his eyes shut, hoping for the best, hoping that Zeus would catch him, hoping that his glasses didn't fall off if he did...

He felt pain and skin graze metal, and then a pair of strong fingers crush around his. One of Zeus' hands moved to take hold of Wheatley's forearm, but in those few seconds he could have sworn that he was going to drop him. "Hold on to me! Hold on!" Wheatley cried, his own fingers wrapping around the android's arm. This all felt too familiar... He opened his eyes, and saw the surface of the moon, a portal, a mechanical arm. Chell. "Grab me!" He cried, so very like long ago. "Grab me! Grab me! Grab me!"

"What did you think I was doing?" The voice cut through the memory, bringing him back to the present. Zeus had pulled him through the broken window, and now Wheatley was knelt in the shards of broken glass. It didn't hurt as much as he would have thought, but perhaps that was all thanks to the adrenaline. "There," Zeus breathed as he stood, turning towards the locked door, "will you stop screaming like a baby now?"

Wheatley, however, did not reply. He struggled to even register how much strength Zeus had as he forced open the door into the chamber. He struggled, because he was still there, even if only slightly. He was still at the moon, trying to implore with Chell. At first he saw nothing in her face, but then he saw a spark of something. Regret. He could see that she didn't want this any more than he did. She'd made a mistake, and she knew it. He knew it too. He'd just never noticed it before.

And now he saw everything, as he spun off into space, screaming for help. She had tried to catch him, and the look on her face when she realised it was too late... Wheatley was pretty sure that he had never felt so sad in his life, but sad for what reason he just did not know.

"Morrison, come on!" He felt himself being pulled up from the floor and unceremoniously dragged into the chamber. It was only once they were inside that his senses returned in full, as his eyes and an optic fell on the massive, low-hung construct before them. Wheatley had never seen a computer look so lifeless before, but that was exactly how the once mighty GLaDOS looked now.

She simply hung there, head so low to the ground that it was almost touching it, completely lifeless and unmoving. In the dark, with only the light from the walkway outside to create sharp, unnatural edges on her, she looked quite grotesque: like hung meat in a butcher's shop. There wasn't even the faintest of yellow lights burning from her optic. She was as good as dead.

Zeus was the first to approach her, laying a hand on her head before examining the very spot where there remained a hidden external receptacle. In but a few strides he was knelt by the circular hatch, pulling the doors apart before waving for Wheatley to approach. "Come on, time to put those skills of yours to good use." Wheatley watched as the android found a small button that summoned the receptacle. "Hack it, boy."

"You what?"

"Hack. It."

"Hack what, exactly? The back-ups of the back-up generators, or GLaDOS?"

Zeus' optic thinned, "What do you think, idiot? Which of them is going to give us time to work with?"

"Stop shouting at me, you lunatic!"

"Just hack the damn thing!"

Wheatley gave Zeus a cold, hard gaze before he cast his eyes on the newly arrived receptacle. Waving the android aside he knelt before it, removing the control panel that allowed humans to access the small but powerful computer inside. Very few people knew that these receptacles also allowed humans to access the facilities inner workings, and the fact that Zeus knew about these as well as the generator code only added more confusion to the overall mystery that was Zeus. But there was no time for thinking about him now, and as Wheatley set to his work with the files and codes within, he knew that the system wasn't going to help him make up any time soon.

"I see they updated their security," Wheatley breathed, his fingers quickly clicking away at the keyboard. "I don't know whether I should be pleased or not."

"Can you do anything about it?" Zeus asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, it's still not the best security in the world. And stop looking over my shoulder, you're throwing my concentration."

Zeus stepped back, leaving Wheatley to his ministrations. Instead his gaze turned to the massive room, following the arched panelled walls until his optic came to rest on the unmoving form of the Central Core. Cave repressed a shudder; he could have been the one to have been stuck inside that thing – the one to be pushed aside by both the computer and Prometheus for so many years, not even aware that he was still alive in all of that circuitry. Instead Caroline had been forced into it instead, and after seeing for himself just what kind of fresh Hell she had gone through, he felt sick for planning on going through the process willingly. He made a mental note to somehow make it up to her, but without Caroline discovering just who he was. His fear of something going terribly wrong still sat in the back of his mind, and he didn't want either Caroline or Chell becoming too close to him again, just in case.

"I'm in!" Wheatley chirped from the floor, making Cave turn on his heel to examine the boy. Morrison looked thoroughly happy with himself. "What's the password?"

"Tier3. Don't spread it around."

"Right, I'll get on it." Wheatley replied with a smile on his face, a smile that lasted only until Zeus could no longer see his face. Then the smile vanished only to be replaced by a furrowed brow. He knew that password. He knew it because Chell knew it. That had been the Johnson family's password to everything, and one that Chell had told him as a child. It wasn't a particularly safe password, Wheatley noted, and as it was used for many of the important matters in the facility it really came as no surprise to him that most of Aperture's brilliant handiwork had ended up at Black Mesa. _"Piss poor security tends to do that though," _he thought as he quickly typed in the password, signalling the go ahead for the emergency back-up generators. _"These really should have had another password too. Several layers of them in fact. The more passkeys and words, the better. Much safer. Less chance of a hacking by a master hacker." _

_**Secondary back-up generators active. Please enjoy an approximated hour of relative safety. **_

"Well," Zeus sighed, turning back to GLaDOS, "that's the generators fixed. Now it's her we need to worry about."

"I'm still worried about the highly unstable reactors that are currently keeping the facility going. You know, the ones that might, oh I don't know, explode?"

"Will you just concentrate?"

Wheatley scowled before returning to the computer, slowly but steadily hacking his way into GLaDOS' motherboard.

It took Wheatley exactly five minutes and twelve seconds to gain entry to GLaDOS' files (Cave counted), and it amazed the android watching him at just how fast he actually was at hacking such a complex and (in comparison to other Aperture technology) well-protected system. At one point Zeus watched as Morrison's face darkened, and a look of panic took control of his features, but it promptly vanished when he realised he was being watched. Instead, Zeus left him to his work, choosing instead to linger by the dead chassis until progress was made.

Yet, after all of the boy's hard work, it culminated into one, long cry of despair.

"It won't bloody work!" Wheatley got to his feet before he did any unfixable damage to the console. Zeus watched as he pulled at his hair, his eyes set firmly upon the floor on which he paced back and forth, growling in frustration whenever he caught his breath. "I can't do it!"

"Don't be an idiot," Zeus spat, his optical covers thinning. "You hacked the generators, you can hack her too."

"But her files aren't there! The most important ones just... They're not there. They're gone! I can't even recover them!"

"That's not possible," Zeus checked the screen to make sure that he was right. To both his surprise and fear, Morrison was right.

"See? Oh God. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..."

"What about the back ups?"

"Gone. All gone."

Zeus could have screamed. "That fucking psychopath! He did this!"

Wheatley did not need to ask the identity of the aforementioned psychopath.

Unwilling to admit defeat, Cave leant against GLaDOS' body to escape from Morrison's hysterical outbursts, and to think of a plan. There had to be some backed-up files somewhere, and he refused to believe otherwise. What piece of equipment could hold something like those? It had to be something that could be compatible with her, something that she didn't manage to overpower as soon as it was hooked up to her. It couldn't be a regular computer, as it was only the receptacle consoles that could withstand the amount of data that was transferred between GLaDOS and whatever new information or code that she needed to run. The Cores built to control her had been built with the same thing in mind.

Cores.

"I've got it!" He almost barked out his announcement at a volume that shocked Wheatley out of his newly found terrified stupor. "Cores! We need a Core!"

"A Core..?" Wheatley couldn't quite understand Zeus' train of thought, and that uncertainty showed on his face.

"Yes, idiot. A Core. They were attached to her, yeah?"

Wheatley frowned.

"Thin about it," the android gesticulated wildly, "anything that directly interacts with her has to know what makes her tick."

Suddenly, Wheatley knew exactly what it was that Zeus was suggesting, and some new information was finally unlocked from within the forgotten memories of his brain. "Of course! They're programmed to help control subdue her, so they have to know her basic, most intrinsic files. They have copies of those files! Oh God, why didn't I remember this stuff earlier?"

"Never mind that now, get on with it!"

Wheatley's face brightened as he turned to look about. But then his smile vanished. "But we don't have a Core."

"Ah. Yeah, a slight problem."

A slight problem. Wheatley wanted to laugh, he truly did, but oddly enough he couldn't. Probably something to do with the stress of the situation they were currently in. "Well," he heard Zeus as he sidled up beside him, "there's a room full of Cores below."

"Yeah, corrupted Cores. Most of them won't even turn on. If we can't get them to turn on, then we have no way of getting the data from them."

"Just wait here a minute, I'll go down and see."

Wheatley watched as Zeus prompted the receptacle to return to its home at the bottom of the breaker room. He followed in its wake, jumping down with the machine into the shadows below, with only the occasional blink of the green or red LED lights of the breakers to indicate just how deep the shaft went. Wheatley was now completely alone, save for the lifeless computerised maniac that hung next to him.

It was cold in this chamber. Even though it was enclosed and as warm as it could possibly be, it was still cold. Wheatley could remember the first moments of his time as the central core quite clearly now. At first he felt joy, which quickly gave way to a feeling of greatness as he became aware of just what he could do, and what he could see, what he could hear. He knew everything there was to know. Then something darker began to claw at the back of his mind. It was quiet at first, but it was constant and ever growing. He felt a rage inside him, accompanied by a loneliness that he just couldn't shake. He knew he wasn't alone – he had that human girl with him. But she was leaving, the voice told him, she was leaving him behind. The voice said that she had used him; she wasn't his friend, he had no friends, and that she was only playing with him so that she could be free. It scratched away at the back of his mind, turning his head with disjointed words, fuelling the fury that continued to grow because he simply couldn't understand _what_ that voice was, and he was angry at himself for not understanding a word that it now said. It was just _there_. It was there, and it wouldn't leave him alone. The fury and rage were soon joined by fear, and eventually these feelings were turned inwards, as he attacked himself in every way that he could. And that was when he turned, just as the lift was leaving. He had snapped under the weight of the voice.

It wasn't until Wheatley had cleared his head that he realised that he was clutching on to GLaDOS to steady himself. It was with great effort that he managed to compose himself, but that voice remained in his head as an awful persistent memory, one that he just couldn't shake himself free of. The scariest thing was that it was his voice.

But why had this voice suddenly begun in his time in the chassis? Was it a fluke? Had his programming been faulty? Or was it simply the fact that he couldn't directly handle the power that was inside that vast supercomputer? After all, curbing the computer's behaviour was one thing, but directly controlling all of that vast information was another thing entirely. That alone could have sent him insane, but Wheatley suspected that there was more to this than met the eye. After all, Mrs Johnson was one of the most lovely people he knew, and yet it was GLaDOS herself who took prominence as far as personalities were concerned. GLaDOS had risen from Mrs Johnson's personality as a dark and twisted version of her true self. And both she and him had used that chassis... Could it be that there was something in that chassis that caused something to happen, something intrinsically bad? Or was the problem in the mainframe? But if it were a problem with the mainframe, then surely Prometheus would have had some control over it all?

He stopped. Prometheus was the mainframe, and he was truly insane. It all made sense now; his insanity must have had an effect on him, and it must have had an effect on Mrs Johnson, causing them both to forget who they were. Luckily, he had been forced out of the chassis before a more permanent version of his darker self took control and practically killed him. Mrs Johnson hadn't been so lucky. However, that would explain GLaDOS' change in attitude since his return from space – with Mrs Johnson now free from wherever it was that she had been locked, she was there to balance out her alter-ego. It all made sense now.

But a heavy pat on his shoulder broke him from his thoughts and he turned to the expectation that Zeus had returned. Instead a pair of blue eyes looked up at him, and from behind those were optics of blue and orange. But it was Chell who occupied his full attention now – his heart fluttered, and an uncontrollable smile lined his face. The relief that she was alive soon followed.

His initial joy to see Chell, Atlas and P-Body stood before him quickly gave way to concern as his eyes followed the trails of blood, bruises and sharp cuts that currently made up Chell's overall self. He held her in a loose hug, being careful to avoid some of the more tender looking bruises, and the Portal Device that was currently resting on her shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay." He whispered as Chell returned the gesture with her one free arm. He pulled away, smiling. "I really was beginning to worry."

Chell nodded in reply, a silent confirmation that she returned his feelings in full.

Atlas and P-Body wasted no time in pulling him into a crushing embrace, chirping happily between themselves as Chell giggled almost silently from the sidelines. Eventually, however, Wheatley could just about see Chell turn on her heel to face the instrument that had brought about so much pain and misery for her.

Chell had expected this reunion with GLaDOS to be a little more heated, but instead of harsh words and vicious insults she was met by silence. Instead of feeling anger, Chell found that she could only feel sorry for GLaDOS. She wanted to hate her, she really, truly did, but seeing the computer like this, after everything she now knew, inspired only the feelings of sadness and a strange kind of understanding. Even without her mother inside that thing, she had grown to care about it.

"Are you okay?" She heard Wheatley ask as he came to stand beside her. Chell nodded, but Wheatley knew that she was lying. Resting an arm around her shoulders, he gave her a gentle squeeze just as the sound of the returning receptacle reached his ears. Chell heard it before him and turned in time to see Zeus emerge with the rising machine. He had an unmoving Core in his hands.

Chell didn't know what she should feel as she looked at Zeus, and judging by the android's optic she believed that he was experiencing the same uncertainty. For Cave, however, it was one of the most welcoming but appalling sights that he could have seen. His little girl was here and now she would never be out of his sight again; he could protect her from machine, man and alien bastard alike. But the state that she was in made him angry, and the fact that Morrison was the first to hold her had enraged him. It should have been him: him or Caroline. It shouldn't have been that moron.

But, then again, it wasn't like Chell would have wanted him to hold her. He was all too aware that she still didn't trust him. Instead he mustered a jovial "hello" and the explanation that he had only found an empty, but functioning Core. Wheatley quickly explained the plan to Chell, before turning back to Zeus. "But why bring an empty one?"

"Well, if we can find a Core's files to download into it, then it can be the middle man for the data transfer."

"Right," Wheatley replied slowly, "but what files are we talking about here? All the Cores had individual holdings in the mainframe – it'll take me ages to find one that isn't corrupted, or one that's got all of the files intact."

"It was only a suggestion, idiot." Zeus spat in reply, but the look of hatred that Chell shot in his direction quickly silenced another insult. That boy really had worked his way around her.

Rejection wasn't something that Cave felt used to, but he now realised that he had been replaced by another man. For a man who was so dedicated to his family, this was another blow to add to an ever growing list of bad events. She was his little girl, and he couldn't even earn her affection without him revealing his true identity. The attention that she should have received from him now came from another man, and Cave hated that idea, especially as this man was Morrison. She would defend that boy until the death. He doubted she would do the same for him now, not that he would want her to. He'd rather kick the metaphorical bucket then let her precious life be taken away from her.

Wheatley, meanwhile, had sat himself down by the receptacle to think, whilst Chell joined his side and the two testing robots simply stared between GLaDOS and Zeus. Zeus intrigued them. They knew now that Prometheus wasn't Chell's father or Caroline's husband – yes, there were shades of him there, but he was most certainly not Cave Johnson. Zeus, however, seemed a more likely candidate: they knew little of him, but what they did know was that he clearly cared about both women. He had made that very clear when they had found both Wheatley and the android alone in Prometheus' chamber.

It seemed to be a stroke of luck that they had merely happened across the vast room whilst they were searching for Wheatley. It was also lucky that Prometheus had been too busy with Chell to notice that they were nearing his chamber. Very, very lucky indeed. Perhaps too lucky, as Blue had suggested.

"I've got it!" Came a sudden, hopeful cry. Wheatley had jumped from the floor to hold his arms out wide to Zeus and the Core. "Give it here, I know what to do!" He didn't wait for Zeus to hand it over to him, but merely snatched the metallic sphere away and mounted it on the receptacle. "Why didn't I think of this before?"

Leaving Wheatley to his work, Chell turned back to GLaDOS and then to Zeus. She noticed the chain around his neck and, following her eyes, Zeus looked down to see that the Cube charm had become nestled in the dip where a collarbone would be. She couldn't see it. Suddenly, Cave felt anxious. He had to return it to her, but he didn't know hoe she'd react. Looking back to check on Wheatley (who was too busy to notice them), he held the charm in his fingers before quietly whispering "I think you should put the device down for a minute."

Naturally, Chell glared at him in distrust. Her grip tightened around the handle of the device, just enough to secure it firmly in her hand. "No, please," Zeus pleaded, "I'm not going to hurt you. It's just, there's something here that... well, it may shock you. And we can't loose that thing." He nodded his head the Portal Device. With encouraging nods from Atlas and P-Body, Chell gave the device to the taller of the two robots before cautiously making her way to Zeus. When she came to a halt, she made sure that there was just enough of GLaDOS' head between them to use as a barricade should she need it.

"Right, well for starters this is awkward," the android motioned to GLaDOS' core, but Chell knew that it was every bit a reference to their current face off. "But I have this to return to you." She watched as the android lifted the chain over his head. "Hold out your hand."

Begrudgingly, she did so, and she resisted the temptation to strike out as the android took her hand in both of his, placing something small within her palm. His hands lingered for too long, and if it hadn't been for the reassuringly familiar sensation that came from that one simple contact, Chell really would have done the android an injury. She couldn't quite place why it felt so familiar or so heart-warming, but she surmised that it could have all been part of an elaborate scheme to gain her trust. That last thought had her snatch her hand away, and she didn't see the saddened look that lingered in Zeus' optic as she quickly backed away towards the two robots who unlike Chell, had not failed to notice the heart-broken expression that still sat in the android's optic. With an apologetic glance in his direction, they quickly turned to the girl as she unclenched her fingers.

Chell hadn't known quite what to expect as she opened up her hand, but she had most certainly not expected her old Companion Cube charm to be sat there, completely unblemished, in the palm of her hand. At first all she could do was stare at it. Shock had overcome her, and it showed – her body was frozen, her eyes wide. To some it may have appeared that she wasn't breathing. But then her fingers slowly moved, turning the little thing around tenderly in her fingertips. Her face softened as the memory of the day this was originally gifted to her rose to her inner eye; it had not even been her birthday, but her parents were so proud of her for coming up with a way to motivate the Test Subjects (and improving results in the process) that they had this made especially for her. It had been her mother's idea to treat her, and her father had thought of this charm. They both beamed at her as her father handed her the little velvet box with the cube inside.

Her growing smile vanished as she thought of her father's voice coming from this one little charm. Would it still be there now? Had she been separated from it for so long that she might just hear it again now? She doubted it, just as much as she doubted Zeus stumbling across this by accident. She shot him a dark but inquisitive look, and he took the hint. "Johnson gave it to me when he sent you away. He was trying to be cruel. But I've kept it with me ever since."

Chell was about to force out a thank you, but a round of excited applause from Wheatley interrupted her. "Yes! It worked! It bloody worked!" All eyes in the room turned to him, as he smiled broadly in return. "Ladies, gentlemen, half-deceased and unaware psychopaths, I've found us our lifeboat! Well, not lifeboat as such. It's not like we're trying to escape, but, well you get the idea."

He was met by a sea of confused faces.

"Erm, what I was trying to say is, I've got us a Core. I'm having to download it, but I've been able to alter the codes so the download time is greatly reduced. It'll be two more minutes or so."

Once again the other looked to one another. Zeus was the first to make a sound, as Chell quickly fastened the charm around her neck. It felt good to be reunited with such a close friend. "And which Core is it?"

"Heh heh, yeah, erm, funny story about that..."

"Who is it?"

There was a quiet ping as the receptacle console announced that the download was complete. All eyes turned to the Core, and Wheatley crossed his fingers, shaking with nerves. "Come on, open your eye. Come on..."

The Core's optical covers twitched. Then once more. An almost silent voice sparked into life, but it was so near to nothing that even Chell struggled to hear it. The optical covers opened, and a few seconds later a bright yellow sunburst blinked into life, followed by the unmistakable and sudden shrill cry of "SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!"

Aperture's best and brightest astronaut had returned home.


	43. Momentum

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Once again, I'm not dead. Just lazy/busy/tooengrossedwithwritingbooktoremembertow ritefanfiction. There was a different chapter here orginally; a much longer one with more events taking place. But I really didn't like it so I started again today, and the shorter result you see now. I'm going on holiday for a couple of days soon, so I'll write a much longer chapter then and post it when I get back. But I felt as though I owe it to you guys to get something out there now rather than later, considering how patient you've all been.

Once again, thanks for the reviews and comments. You're all really sweet and I appreciate your messages :) .

The eagle eyes among you may also notice that I've changed the way I write speech. This is because it's how I'm writing speech in my book, and I'm trying to keep myself in good habits.

I'm off for now. I have to get some sleep before work tomorrow. Bye guys :D .

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Forty-Three<span>

Momentum

"SPAAAAAAACE! SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! SP..." The delighted voice of the Space Core suddenly stopped. Instead of screaming about his most favourite subject in the whole known universe, the core simply flicked his optic around the room, blinking quickly at each new face he found. His vision finally rested on Chell, recognising her as the one special lady that had helped him in making his way into outer space. "Hey. Hey, lady. Lady. Where is space?"

Chell's hard look softened. She couldn't tell this little core anything, the least of it being that he wasn't in orbit anymore. With regret she pointed at the ceiling, thrusting her finger repeatedly so that he would know that it was a long way away from here. She understood that they were already technically in space, but even if she could force her half-dead vocal chords into spluttering out a sentence so long as to explain this, she had a feeling that he may not have appreciated it.

The Space Core fell silent once again, and never had a core looked so lost for hope or so... sad. "No more space?" He was met with Chell's firm shake of her head. In defeat, he simply stared at the floor, his voice so quiet that it was almost a whisper. "But... I was just in space."

Wheatley didn't know what to say. After two years of his constant vocalisation on the wonders of space, he had thought that this little guy's silence would have been appreciated. But it really wasn't, and that made him feel terrible. He had torn away this poor little core from the one thing he loved most. It would have been like Wheatley himself being torn away from Chell, and that was both a humbling and terrifying thought. He had to say something to him, his little space buddy, something that would cheer him up. "Hey," he cooed, attracting the core's attention, "at least you saw space. I know you didn't see a lot of it – I mean, the moon is great, but it gets boring after a while – but you saw more than anyone else here ever has. Well, almost everyone, but you get the gist of it."

For a while the core was silent. He simply stared up at Wheatley with an inquisitive glare, one that searched Wheatley's entire being. Feeling very much like a zoo exhibit, Wheatley turned to face the rest of the group. "What is he doing?"

"How should we know?" Zeus replied, his own optic locked onto the core before him.

Wheatley turned back to the core, waving a hand before his optic as though trying to break him out of a trance. "Hey, come on now. Stop staring at me. Stop staring, would you please? I'm getting a little freaked out now."

Slowly, a look of realisation overcame the core's optic, and the shift of the optical covers (mixed with the full return of his voice), told everyone in the chamber just how happy he suddenly was. "Space buddy!"

Wheatley couldn't help but smile in return.

"Space buddy!" The core cried again. "My friend from space! Space! Buddy!"

"Yeah, it's me!" Wheatley held out his hands to remove the Space Core from the receptacle, and the core obliged by disconnecting himself. "I never thought I'd miss you, little guy. But I really have."

"Space, and me... we missed you too!"

"Come here, Spacey! Let me hug you. There we go, there we go..."

Chell felt a smile creep on to her face, followed by a croaking sound that had tried to represent a gentle coo. Zeus simply rolled his optic, and both Atlas and P-Body looked as clueless as one another, as they had been previously unaware of the core's existence. Wheatley, however, stood with the core held safely in his arms, his body trembling under the sphere's weight. "Right, well, we have our core. Now we need to just attach him to GLaDOS, download her files, and everything will be just fine."

"Space."

"Then we can get on with our lives..."

"Space."

"... when this whole mess is over..."

"Space."

"... and be happy being trapped down here..."

"Space."

"Shh," Wheatley looked at the core, whose optic raised in a smile. There was a slight pause before he continued. "Then we can be happy, and be trapped down here away from those bloody Combine. Good."

"... Space."

"Shh!"

The mismatched group watched as Wheatley stood on his toes, stretching out every joint and muscle in an attempt to mount the core in his appropriate socket on GLaDOS' chassis, but even with his height he could not reach it. Instead, Chell took the core from him and signalled for a boost, and Wheatley happily obliged, lifting her up by her hips (and earning a disapproving glare from Zeus in the process). With a click and a turn, the Space core was safely locked into the chassis, and whilst he giggled to himself about asteroids and black holes, Wheatley began the work of transferring the files from him and into GLaDOS.

"How long is this going to take?" Zeus asked, his head turning in the direction of a faint rumble in the distance. "Any educated guess will do."

"Only a few minutes," Wheatley replied, his eyes close to the console screen as he read through strings of code, "her reboot time, however, I'm not sure about." He turned to Chell. "I mean, last time she was properly rebooted was... er, you know. When she woke up. And crushed me."

Chell nodded in confirmation.

"And that only took a minute. Hopefully that'll happen again."

There was another, louder rumble. It was the sound a machine grinding to a sudden stop, and could well have been one of the generators helping to sustain and contain the reactors. Wheatley returned to hos work as the rest of the group remained silent and tense, though Spacey, completely oblivious to the danger they were in, continued to babble on about his favourite planets, in order of preference.

In the silence, Chell moved to stand by GLaDOS' core, not able to stomach the blanket of unease that had fallen across the room. She rested a hand on the cool, hard shell, rubbing away a smudge of dirt that sullied the otherwise bright white. Though she couldn't pretend to not feel anger or hatred for this being, she at least now held a healthy amount of respect for her. After all, they weren't so different. Part of this was due to her mother's influence, but the rest was down to the cruelty they had endured. Yes, GLaDOS was powerful, but the staff here at Aperture had been working on ways to subdue her. It must have been akin to torture, as far as the computer was concerned. And Chell could relate to the feelings, thoughts and emotions that rose from such situations.

"Done!" Wheatley chirped from the console, running over to the huge chassis and asking Spacey to disengage himself. The core fell into Wheatley's waiting arms, crying out with laughter as he did, and continued to name the moons of Jupiter as Wheatley buckled under his weight. Carrying the core back to the console and sitting him gently on the floor, Wheatley returned to the console and began the reboot. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."

Atlas and P-Body exchanged nervous glances. They couldn't believe he was doing it either.

For a moment all was silent. Neither Chell nor Wheatley dared to breathe, and all eyes, ears and optics were on the massive central core. Even Spacey had fallen quiet, intrigued as he was by this latest development. It was so deathly still that you could have heard a speck of gel drop on the outer side of the room.

And then a loud hum began.

High above them, GLaDOS' coolant systems jerked into life, and that spark travelled downwards into the thick wire supports and various tiny data cables. The chassis jerked awkwardly, like a muscle spasm would, and there was a growing howl of internal power circulating through the entire room, culminating into a cacophony of growling machinery.

The bright light of GLaDOS' optic flickered into life, and with it so did her full movement. Her head rocked violent, and Chell had to dive aside to avoid being hurled into the air. There was an almighty creak as the computer stretched and then, finally, she hung there, casting her optic across all in the room with a vague and judgemental gaze.

She stopped first for Wheatley. "Ah," she began, her voice returning in full force, "moron. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come back. Congratulations: you actually exceeded my expectations, though the bar wasn't raised very high anyway."

"Nice to see you again too." Wheatley hissed, crossing his arms across his chest.

GLaDOS turned from Wheatley and instead focussed on the Space core. "What is he doing back here?"

The core, however, shrank in fear. "Wanna go to space. Wanna go back to space..."

"Hm," she mused, turning to the Cooperative Testing Initiative, "nothing changes. And you two." The two of them took a few steps back, shaking in fear. "I suppose I'm glad that you're both still standing, and not in pieces." She moved on, and both robots breathed a unified sigh of relief. GLaDOS gave Zeus the briefest of glances. "I don't know who you are, and I really don't care."

Zeus scowled. "Now wait just one goddamn minute..." But GLaDOS simply brushed him aside, turning at last to Chell.

At first both woman and computer simply glared at one another, playing some unspoken staring contest that both were determined to win, despite Chell's obvious disadvantage. Eventually, GLaDOS tilted her head, her optic adjusting as she zoomed in on the one human that could ever gain this much of her attention. "Well, it's been a long time. How are you, lunatic?"

Chell raised an eyebrow in response.

GLaDOS continued. "Just as I suspected. Well, seeing as though you were going to ask me anyway, I'll tell you how I've been. I've been really busy being bored out of my wonderful mind. And do you know why?" She paused, waiting deliberately for a reply that would never come. "Well, I'll tell you. I've been bored because, unfortunately, after you every other Test Subject is useless."

A trace of a smirk graced Chell's lips as GLaDOS relaxed into a more natural sway. She looked around her surroundings with interest, though when she spoke they knew that she had really been scanning the facility. "Well, somebody threw a party in this place and forgot to clean up, didn't they? Hold on..."

_**Aperture systems now fully online. Emergency reactors deactivated. Thank you for ending what could have potentially been our demise. **_

"There," she breathed, turning back to the denizens of the room, "now which of you unwitting buffoons do I have to thank for reactivating me?"

Chell, Atlas and P-Body all pointed at Wheatley, who straightened his back as GLaDOS looked at him disbelievingly.

"Why do I find that hard to believe?"

"Hey," Wheatley replied, puffing out his chest, "would a 'thank you' hurt?"

"Yes. It would."

Zeus didn't try to hide his loud guffaw, something that GLaDOS found endearing.

"Well, at least someone here appreciates just how much of a moron you are. The fact that you are still standing alone leads me to believe that the lunatic has forgiven you completely." She turned to Chell. "That just proves that you _are_ a lunatic, by the way."

"Alright, that's enough now." Wheatley barked, taking two steps towards the central core. "We need to move on. We need..."

"I am well aware of what we need." GLaDOS spoke with a bored sigh. "We need Caroline. We need to stop that psychopath Prometheus from regaining control. We need to stop him, period. I can't free those remaining Test Subjects for testing, and nor can I have my facility back until we do."

Wheatley scoffed at this, earning him the computer's full attention. "Don't you mean Chell? This facility isn't yours, it's hers."

And suddenly, Chell felt very small.

This was a new sensation, and one that she dearly wanted to be free from. She had always known this could happen, but now, with the words falling freely from Wheatley's lips, it seemed final. It was final. This whole facility was hers, as were the older sectors beneath her feet. The walls and corridors that had once belonged to her father, and then her mother, were now hers. And they had been this whole time. And what had she done with them? Nothing. She had destroyed this part of the facility, leaving it to ruin as both she and GLaDOS slept in near-death states. She had destroyed labs to escape Lucian Johnson and Prometheus' security bots alike. She had done nothing to this facility but harm it, when she had vowed only to protect it.

She didn't deserve this place, GLaDOS did. She hadn't actively sought out any part of its destruction.

Above her, GLaDOS had fallen silent, seemingly have a crisis of conscience. But then she spoke with authority, making it perfectly clear who she thought should be in charge: her. "Her? And why should she?"

"It's her birthright!" Wheatley snapped in reply.

"Really? And can she manage this right? Hm? Because all I've seen her do is destroy it."

"Now hold on a minute..!"

"No. You hold on, moron."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

All eyes turned to Zeus, whose optic had thinned to a pinprick and an enraged scowl with his outburst. Slowly, GLaDOS stretched her body so that her optic came close to touching his. "And who are you to tell me what to do?"

"I am Zeus, a Mark I protection officer prototype, dedicated to the welfare of Aperture's current leader." He turned to Chell. "And I protect her." He turned back to GLaDOS with a scowl that rivalled her own. "If that doesn't prove who's facility this place is, then I don't know what more evidence I could offer."

"And why have I never heard of you?" The computer asked, her voice dropping low.

"I was a top secret project, designed by Cave Johnson himself, and built by Dr. Rattmann. I was meant to protect Caroline, but I wasn't finished in time."

Chell listened to all of this with interest. Her father had designed him? That explained why he could understand her equational alphabet. It also explained why he was so fond of protecting her. But he was clearly still a man inside a machine, and she still wanted to know who he had been. There was a brief moment of hope, one in which she thought that it could be her father in that android shell, but it simply couldn't be. He didn't act like her father. He didn't speak like him. Besides, if it had been her father, he would have told her it was him long before now. No, her dad was still very much dead and buried underground.

If only he were here. He'd take control of this facility with no problems or worries.

GLaDOS, meanwhile, had pulled away from Zeus with a growl. "Alright then, android. You can have the chance to do your job now." She pointed her head at the doorway. "Go and find Caroline, and take your ward with you. You can go on a marvellous seek and find mission together. I would offer you the lift down but, unfortunately, the elevator shaft in this room still only goes right down to the fifties sector, so if you want to investigate the older facility you'll have to start from the eighties. Sorry." She didn't sound sorry at all. "I have no idea why she would be down there anyway. Prometheus probably..."

"She is down there," Zeus cut in.

"Oh. Well, I don't know how you came by that information, but it had better be the right information."

Chell didn't particularly like the idea that both she and Zeus would be left alone together, but her Portal Device was returned to her before she had any chance to try and make an argument against it. At least Zeus had a vague idea of where it was that they were supposed to be going, so the trip could be as quick as it needed to be.

"Blue. Orange. I need you two to go and scout for me," GLaDOS said, turning to her two robots. "I can watch the entire facility except for those parts with no connection to me – parts that are now under _his_ control. I need you to be my eyes and ears in these places. And you..." She turned last to Wheatley. "Since you are a computer wizard, you can find a way to get rid of Prometheus. I'm sure you, with all of your genius, can figure something out. And take your astrophysically deranged pet with you. For entertainment. My entertainment. I'll even use him as an audio feed so we can chat to one another as you go about your business."

Wheatley looked less than enthusiastic, but he picked up the core none the less. He'd have to figure out a better mode of transport than this; maybe tie him to his back like a backpack. "And what about you?" He asked, looking up at the supercomputer with a curious glance. "What will you be doing whilst we all go out and risk our necks?"

GLaDOS voice was full of a dark, bitter mirth when she replied, "wresting control from Prometheus, holding back his advances. What else?

"Now go, before he wakes up. Hopefully we'll have enough time to do our jobs before he can interfere."

And so the group departed. Zeus led Chell down one route, Atlas and P-Body took another, and Wheatley and Spacey were left trying to decide where best they could make some early progress. Suggestions of space were ignored.

GLaDOS watched them all leave in turn before returning to her own chamber. She would never admit it, but she was glad that both the lunatic and the moron were back. She had been worrying about them, just as she still worried for Caroline's safety. For now she would do all she could to protect them from the security bots that were now under Prometheus' control, but once they were beyond her reach then they were on their own.

She hadn't had the nerve to tell them that she had regained very little control of the facility.


	44. The Wrong Way

Author's Note: Hello, everybody! So sorry about the age long update. I literally have no excuses this time; I just got really lazy, and when I wasn't writing stuff for my books I got distracted by games and Youtube :c . Please forgive me. For those of you who read my TF2 fic 'Reality Bites' as well, I'll be updating that next month too. Edits of both fics continue :) .

So, here you all go, the latest chapter! Consider it an early Christmas present, if you will :D .

Merry Christmas to one and all, and a very happy New Year, everybody! I shall see ye all then :D .

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><p><span>Chapter Forty-Three<span>

The Wrong Way

"Hey, moron."

Wheatley sighed in exasperation as GLaDOS' own voice drowned out the Space Core's true voice from behind him. Shortly after leaving the main chamber, he had managed to find some strong wire cable and had attached Spacey to his back in some manner of a Hellish papoose, and whilst practical it did mean that both Spacey and GLaDOS were speaking right into his ear. Quite loudly, in fact.

"You're going the wrong way."

"How am I going the wrong way?" He snapped in reply, looking over his shoulder to see that Spacey was looking directly at him – no doubt with thanks to _her_ input. "You don't even know where I'm going."

"If you're going where I think you're going, you are most certainly going the wrong way."

"Alright then, genius, where am I going then?"

"The nearest control room to my position."

Wheatley snarled under his breath, but it wasn't as quiet as he had originally hoped – as GLaDOS' cackle of laughter betrayed.

Wheatley had thought it better that he found a room in which he could effectively work from; one with several computer interfaces that he could all work with should something have gone horribly wrong in his efforts. With the thought of many computers came the idea of one of Aperture's many control rooms, and whilst he wasn't particularly fond of GLaDOS he could at least count on her for some kind of safety should any security bots chase after him. It would only be a short run back to her chamber... or so he had thought, until he read one of the pieces of signage that confirmed that GLaDOS was indeed right: he was going the wrong way.

"Okay, so, on this occasional I'll admit you were actually right." He muttered, looking over his shoulder to find the bright yellow starburst staring at him once again. "So, any ideas?"

"I'm glad you asked..."

"I bet you are."

There was an uncomfortable silence whilst the optic dilated. "There is an IT suite nearby."

"Good enough, I suppose."

He followed the corridor until he reached the aforementioned suite, gazing in through the window to a room lined with several computers. A few cups sat here and there, but that sight alone made him uneasy. People had been drinking from those before they had died.

Actually, what did happen to the bodies? He very much doubted that GLaDOS would have left the facility in a mess, but what had she done with all of those people? A brief thought flew into his head, one that demanded that he should ask. And he did.

"Why would you want to know that know, moron? You have work to do."

"Tell me." He looked at the optic reflected in the window, giving it a stern glance.

GLaDOS simply seemed to shrug the glance away, but responded curtly with an answer: "maintenance bots and the incinerator. How else?" Her voice betrayed how little she cared, and that frightened him. Suddenly he remembered that she was, in fact, a killing machine, and he was entrusting his life to her. It had to be the single most stupid mistake he had ever made, but it was a mistake that he had no choice but to make.

He moved on.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying something different."

She fell silent for a few seconds as she tried to gauge his thought process. "Are you sure that's a good idea? With your fleshy brain?"

"If it works then I expect an appology."

"I won't make any promises, and I want to know what you're doing."

Wheatley cleared his throat to cover up the falter in his words. "His chamber. What better place to deactivate the bastard than in there?"

"What?" Her surprise was evident. "You really are a moron, aren't you? Security bots will undoubtedly be making their way back there to assess the damage."

"If I'm quick enough I'll beat them," he replied, pushing open one of the more age-stiffened doors.

"You're insane. What can you possibly hope to achieve by getting there first?"

"Well they say that they early bird gets the worm," Wheatley smirked, looking either way down the impossibly long corridor into which he had emerged.

"Yes," GLaDOS' voice seemed to smile – almost too sweetly – before replying "but the second mouse gets the cheese."

Wheatley had to think about this for a few seconds. "You think he's left some kind of trap in there?"

"He'd be a fool not to." She paused. "That, or the security bots will get to you, regardless of whether you deactivate him or not. They're on _his _side. I'll never have control over them, even with Prometheus gone. They are extremely loyal to him.

"What you need is to go back to that IT suite. I've seen you hack now and, as much as I'm loathe to admit it, you're not half bad at the job."

Wheatley surged with pride, and made no job of hiding the smile on his face. But now he was conflicted: did he trust her and use the IT suite, or did he try to find his original destination or, dare he think it, his newest plan of returning to _his_ chamber?

He stood in the corridor for the longest time, thinking over the options in his head in great detail. GLaDOS had been thankfully silent, until Spacey was brought back into full life. She had left, but for what reason he could not know.

"Hey, hey," Spacey said, right into Wheatley's ear, "hey. Space buddy. Hey."

Wheatley looked over his shoulder with a small smile. "Hey."

"Space computers."

Wheatley scowled. "Not now, okay little guy? This is serious."

The core frowned. "Space. Computers."

"But there are no computers in space; not ones we could use anyway."

"Computers in space."

Wheatley sighed in exasperation, leaning against the wall with his palms. His head hurt from all of this thinking, and Spacey's stubbornness wasn't helping his situation at all. Looking either way up and down the corridor once more, Wheatley set off to the right for no particular reason. He could at least hope to find something of use on the way, as all three of the plans he currently had in mind seemed to be either exceedingly dangerous or a complete waste of time, now that he had over thought on them.

"Nooooooooo!" Spacey called from his back, his frame grinding against Wheatley's spine as he tried to spin in a bid to attract attention – something that put Wheatley in a great amount of pain. "Space computers!"

"Stop doing that. Okay, will you stop doing that. Please? It kind of hurts."

"But space computers!"

"They're in space and completely useless to us!"

"No!"

Spinning with a force great enough to throw Wheatley from his feet, the Space Core turned both himself and his human friend around, pointing Wheatley in the opposite direction of the corridor. "Astronauts. Space computers."

"You what?" Wheatley hissed, trying to rub at the painful spot on his back. "What are you on about, mate? You're not making any sense!"

"Space computers. Astronauts. Computers for space."

"What are you..? Hang on," he looked over his shoulder to find Spacey looking up at him. "Did you say computers _for _space?"

The core nodded in agreement.

"As in, computers made _for _space?"

Another nod, followed by a cheerful "space!"

A thought dawned on Wheatley suddenly, and it was one that made him smile back at the core, who knew that his friend had finally realised just what it was that he had been trying to tell him. "The astrophysics department."

"Space!"

"The astrophys... Spacey, you're brilliant, you are!"

The astrophysics department had been in development when Wheatley himself had been downloaded into a core. He had never really had any reason to give it a passing thought, but now that he was thinking about it he could see what an excellent proposition it was for him; it was closer to Prometheus' chamber than GLaDOS' own, but far enough away for him to escape from danger if he needed to. Plus the extra proximity to Prometheus meant that any information either he or Wheatley exchanged would be a few valuable nanoseconds faster than if he were further away.

Without a second thought, Wheatley hurtled in the direction of what he assumed to be the astrophysics department – he was completely lost, after all – with a very excited core screaming "SPAAAAAAACE!" in his wake.

Chell reluctantly followed Zeus as he led her through ever increasing volumes of corridors, past empty conference rooms and far away from any of Aperture's more vital, machined and computerised areas. Neither spoke a word to one another, and the silence for her was wholly uncomfortable. For Zeus it was no better, but the cold, hard attitude that Chell had about her made it hard for him to find anything to say to her, especially now that he had returned her charm to her. With a brief glance over his shoulder he found her subconsciously holding it in her fingers as her eyes darted here, there and everywhere. The Portal Device rested against her shoulder, but her arm was rigid enough to tell him that she was neither calm nor relaxed.

With an internal sigh he returned his face forward, leading her further towards the nearest entrance to the older facility below. It had been vitrified, but the little information that he had gleamed from both Prometheus and GLaDOS now led him to believe otherwise; GLaDOS, it seemed, had opened up this route to allow her testing initiative access to the lower facility. It had to be the only way in which Prometheus could have had Caroline taken down there as the way in which he had originally escaped captivity in Chell's wake had been sealed off for good by GLaDOS herself, leaving only two of three original return routes available. The second of these lay inside her chamber, elevator unfixed, unless of course your desire was to be taken to much higher ground.

Behind him he could hear Chell clear her throat as the faint sound of singing turrets wafted into their ears. The sound grew until at last they came to a vast open space lined with crossing and intersecting metal walkways. The chasm-space echoed with the turret's voices, and both he and Chell looked up to find a small choir of the things abandoned on a ledge above them. The turrets watched them as they walked by, leaving them alone to progress unhindered and bullet free. It was only their melancholy song that followed after them as they found their way back through an automated door and into a firmer concrete and plaster corridor.

"We're almost there," Zeus said, finally breaking the unease between them. "There's a lift that'll take us right down to the eighties sector." Chell, who seemed suitably agreeable with the arrangement, nodded in reply. Feeling a little less tense, Zeus relaxed enough to try and strike up a conversation. But Chell darted past him in a blur of white and orange, vanishing into a conference room in which a whiteboard stood, riddled with age old comments.

He entered the room after her to find her struggling to write with a dried out pen, but he could vaguely make out her words regardless of the pen's quality: _**Why did you not tell me you were made by my dad?**_

The question took him quite by surprise: he had not been expecting her to care so much for the whys and wherefores. Not able to think of a convincing lie, he instead replied that he believed that the knowledge had not been important.

_**And what about the photo in my old backpack? Was the writing on the back of that some kind of sick joke? **_She looked angry as she turned back to him, and she had every right to be so. But he simply stood there, shaking his head lightly, subtly enough to confirm his trepidation in answering her question. "I... I just wanted to write that down for you." He replied, hoping beyond hope that she would believe his lies. "You know, because that's what he would have thought. I just wanted to help you feel a little more, I dunno, at home."

Chell scowled, but put the pen back down in its resting place nonetheless before rearranging the weight of the device on her shoulder, and motioning for him to lead the way. She wasn't convinced, he could see that all too well, but for now it would have to do.

It was not long until they arrived at their one way down into the Aperture of old; the large, rounded elevator with soft padded walls inside. Chell smiled at the familiarity of it all, recognising it as the old company elevators used by staff (and, on occasion, for the testing tracks should the usual Enrichment Centre elevators be unavailable – just as they had been used in her first round of testing all those years ago). Zeus motioned for her to enter before doing so himself, and she sank into the soft, plush padding with a small smile on her face. She knew all too well that the walls were padded as to prevent people purposefully trying to knock themselves out, but this little fact didn't bother her at all. Besides, if staff or test subjects had really wanted to render themselves unconscious, all they had to use was the hand rail.

Zeus closed the door behind them, his fingers leaving the button that had signalled the close before floating upwards to where the buttons for each floor were embedded. It was as he read through the numbers that they felt the heavy but dull thud on the top of the elevator, one that was strong enough to rock them but weak enough to not force them to descend. Both android and human looked up to listen as footsteps tapped above their heads, accompanied by a deep but faint hissing sound that sounded very much like a blow torch. "I got 'em." Crackled the voice of the security bot. "I'm getting rid of them now... No, I won't fail miserably this time... Hey, if you think you can do this better than me then head on over, pal!"

The lift moaned as thick metal supports strained and broke. Slowly it tipped, and Zeus found himself scrabbling to open the doors before a sharp jolt threw both of them against the wall. Chell narrowly missed the hand rail, but clung onto her Portal Device for dear life. Zeus landed next to her with a pained thud.

"I can do my job properly, you know!" The bot screamed outside. "I'm not an idiot like you!"

And with a rush, both Chell and Zeus found themselves pinned against the roof of the elevator as it hurtled down, carrying the screams of the security bot with it in it's wake: "Wait! I take it back! HELP!"

Trapped and unable to move against the forces keeping them in place, Zeus, as calmly as he could, joked that Chell didn't seem to have all that much luck with descending elevators. She didn't appreciate the sentiment.

The robot outside had stopped screaming now, but the sound of rushing air and scraping metal had not. The cab caught something beyond the walls and jolted, throwing its occupants aside as their gravity rearranged itself, converting the floor into the new ceiling. _"How much longer is this going to be?" _Chell thought to herself with a sense of urgency that only impending doom could convey, trying to raise her legs in an effort to ready herself for the imminent crash; but only if she were lucky enough to get out of this accursed cab that would be compacted under its own weight. Her gaze turned itself to the doors ahead of her and Zeus, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, turned to look at her. "The doors?"

She nodded.

She watched as Zeus stretched as far as he could pulling at the seam of the doors. "Hold onto something!" He screamed, and Chell was more than happy to oblige, hooking her arms around the hand rails whilst still miraculously keeping a tight grip on her Portal gun. Satisfied that she had a sturdy grip, Zeus hooked one foot around the same hand rail, placed one hand firmly against the inside of the cab, and forced the doors open.

The change in air pressure hit her hard, pulling at every muscle and tendon in her arms. Zeus, however, did not fare as well as his hand slipped and he fell, falling through the door and out of sight. And suddenly Chell felt lonely, and scared and completely terrified as to what had happened to him.

The cab rolled, and Chell slid with it. With little time to think about Zeus, she held on as the cab rolled again, looking beyond the open doors for any sight of the ground. She saw it fast approaching. She really needed to get out of here.

The cab rolled again, with the door nearly above her. Just a few more seconds and she could let go, and the elevator would simply fall away from her, allowing her time to brace herself against whatever crashed, sharp mass remained of the cab itself.

Three more seconds...

One more second.

And then she was falling, free to feel the wind rush by her, and free to turn herself so that her feet would be the first to touch ground. Her eyes scanned the falling lift, quickly catching a faint glimpse of Zeus as he climbed towards the mouth of the cab, his hands reaching the door, as he and the elevator crashed into the ground.

Chell could have screamed.

Dust rose from the wreckage, and her feet collided with a rough, steep and sharp corner. With her landing softened, she fell to one side with a crack, gauging her leg on a broken piece of metal as she slid, and landing on a small, sharper piece of metal that quickly embedded itself into her back. A strangled cry broke from her throat as she rolled on the ground in pain, though she forced herself to her feet none the less.

As the dust subsided, the full extent of the damage came to light. There was nothing left of the elevator but crushed metal. If she had been inside that cab she would have been killed, she knew it. But where was Zeus? He had been under it as it landed...

"_Oh God." _He couldn't have survived that, he simply couldn't. He would have been crushed under his own weight, before being flattened by the elevator itself. And she couldn't quite understand how to feel about that. On the plus side, she wouldn't have to worry about him turning psycho or making her life difficult. She wouldn't have to worry about his obvious lies. But it also meant that she had lost the one thing that her father had left to protect her. And he had, at times, seemed so very familiar to her. So familiar...

The debris moved, and Chell jumped back fearing that that the floor were about to subside, her Portal Device raised in an effort to find any kind of portal conductive surface to use. Yet from underneath the wreckage emerged an unscathed (but filthy) Zeus, completely unaware of her presence, and whose first reaction to the wreckage was to scream.

And he didn't scream with his voice.

Chell fled. She ran, and she continued to run through old, battered and broken corridors. She ran through open areas of the old salt mine without even a passing glance at the old Enrichment Spheres. She ran until her legs began to ache and blood lose made her feel faint, and then she stopped, when she was fully convinced that she was far enough away from him to be safe.

That scream: it wouldn't leave her ears. It was the same scream that had haunted so many of her nightmares, the same scream that she had heard as a child in that damnable pump station.

Zeus wasn't her father, so why had he screamed like him?

Felling sick with a combination of a loss of blood and negative emotions, Chell sat herself down against the nearest wall. Pulling the shard of metal from her back (which was not as deep as he had originally thought, and nowhere near as life threatening), she used the bloody mess to cut off a sleeve of her jumpsuit and use it as a bandage around her leg, wrapping it tightly around the gash until the blood soaked through even that.

With white dots flooding her vision, and her head becoming so uncomfortably light but heavy, Chell dragged herself to a reasonably safe spot inside a vent and hid inside, laying the Portal Device beside her, making a solemn vow to her mother that, when she woke, she would find her, without Zeus' help.


	45. The Turret

A/N - Hey everybody! I'm still alive - shocking, I know, but I hadn't realized just how long it was since I last updated. Suffice to say, I haven't stopped writing this and I'm going to see it through to end, and through it's sequel as well :) . It may take a little while to get there though, but now that I've got less hours at work and my ESO fury has subsided a bit, I should be doing a lot more fanfic writing (and that includes Reality Bites, for all of you TF2 fans out there. That should be updated either today or tomorrow).

So thank you all for being so patient with me. I know I've been trying the patience of some of you, and I really am sorry. I just loose track of time so easily, and before I know it a year could have passed without me realizing that I haven't written anything. This is a fairly long chapter, though, so hopefully it will act as a suitable apology.

And further more, enjoy!

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><p><span>Chapter Forty-Four<span>

The Turret

Chell woke to the sound of voices. First they were the voices of a dream; a collection of different people that she could not quite place. Then they became toned – auto tuned – and were far too close to her to be considered comfortable.

With the smallest of jumps, Chell pushed herself further into the darkness of her hiding place. She could see the legs of security bots just beyond the open space. Chell counted five of the loudly speaking robots.

They were talking about Zeus.

"... never seen a more broken machine in my life," said one.

"He wasn't broken, you idiot. He was intact," argued another.

"I didn't mean broken literally, tin head!"

"Guys," another bot came into view, bringing their total number to six. "Shouldn't we be worried about how easily he just gave himself up?"

"The girl's dead, pal. He has nothing to do now. No purpose."

"Then shouldn't we be worried about how the boss will take the news?"

"She's only a human. He can find another one."

Out of the crowd of mechanised legs stepped another, older model of security bot. It looked a little more lean than the others, but that did nothing to quell the feeling of sickness that rose from her stomach when Chell saw it. The serial number on its chestplate did not hinder the following sensations of rage and horror either. For she had seen this particular robot before. It was the same robot that had drugged her as a child; the same robot that had followed Lucian's every word on disposing of her.

Chell's every instinct told her to be very, very quiet.

"She isn't dead, fools." It said, speaking for the first time with a peculiarly raspy and female voice. "She's still about somewhere, no matter what that idiot thinks." The older robot, and clear leader of the group, cackled. "And he thought he knew her well. If he really knew her, he would have known that she would never have let herself die in that carnage."

The robot moved through the group, casting the others aside with little effort. "And the blood trail..."

Chell froze. Her blood! How could she have been so stupid? The traitorous trail from her leg would lead them right to her. How could she have forgotten to at least try and cover her tracks.

But then the echo of Zeus' scream rang through her ears, and she remembered why she had thrown all caution to the wind.

She had little time to think of that now. The bot was moving closer.

"It is just a shame that the trail ended a while ago." She continued, stopping right outside the vent. "The few flecks that remain tell us nothing." Casually, she leaned against the wall, blocking out what little light there had been for Chell to see by. "Strange, that human. I think I like her tenacity."

"But SaIRA," one of the other robots began, "if she's bleeding then she'll probably bleed to death. Can't we just pretend that we've looked for her and found nothing?"

There was the longest pause. None of the robots moved or said anything, and even Chell had frozen in her spot.

"What did you say?" The older robot, now known to Chell as SaIRA, asked.

The robot that had originally asked the question now found that the others around him had given him and SaIRA some distance. With a nervous glance to his fellow machines, he turned back to SaIRA with a little uncertainty in his voice.

"I said we should just pretend? Because she's probably dead?"

Another pause, before SaIRA finally straightened. "I thought that was what you said."

In a flurry of arms and legs, SaIRA had her fellow robot by his throat. She dragged him towards the vast open space below them, flinging him over the hand rails as though he weighed nothing. There was a the shortest of screams, followed by a heavy splash, and some more screaming as his metal body was eaten away by the acid below them.

The screams continued for a few more seconds. And then silence.

Chell had the burning desire to wretch.

Turning back to her fellow robots, SaIRA stretched her arms and flexed the joints and cables in her neck. With her ministrations complete, she pointed at the robot farthest away from her. "You, go and report to Tantalus. He'll be able to report back to the boss when he wakes up."

"What do I tell him?" The robot asked, rather cautiously as Chell noticed.

"Tell him that the girl is still down here somewhere. We'll find her and bring her back."

The security bot nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and tell Tantalus that we've sent ol' daddy Zeus to Prometheus' chamber. He'll know what to do with him."

With an nod of acknowledgement, the robot left.

SaIRA led her party elsewhere, leaving Chell alone inside her hiding spot. But instead of moving straight away she stayed put, not because she was waiting to put enough space between her and the hunting party as possible, but because she was thinking about something that SaIRA had said.

_Ol' daddy Zeus_, she had said. Those words played and danced around inside her head, accompanied by the scream that Zeus had cried just a few hours ago; her father's agonised screaming.

Though her mind was slowly putting all of the clues together, she dared not hope for her thoughts to be true. Zeus had sounded exactly like her father. He knew her alphabet just as well as he did. The words written on the back of the photograph were his, along with the lambda being written in the same way that her father had. He had kept her charm safe for her throughout all of these years.

And now more images were firing at her: the hurt look in his optic when Chell had shunned him as a child. How protective he was around her, and more so in fact than any regular bodyguard would be, He just seemed too human.

No, it couldn't be. Her father was dead. Dead, and buried in the shambled remains of a ruined cemetery. They had never had the time nor the chance to upload him into anything,

Or, at least, nothing that Chell had known about.

What was it Sii-Hya had said to her? She should find the truth for herself? Chell was sure that was one of the things that he had said to her. How she wished he were here right now. He may have been vague – deliberately vague, she thought – but at least he was calm. He was wise. Maybe he could have helped her to make sense of this entire issue.

"_No, Zeus can't be him,"_ she told herself. _"He would have said something if it were him. Doug would have said something too."_

Zeus was not her father. He couldn't be.

She didn't dare to put any hope into it.

Elsewhere in the facility, Wheatley and Spacey continued on their way towards the Astrophysics Department. They had finally come across signage that helped to lead them in the right direction, but a growth in the number of security bots had forced them to take the longer routes.

"I don't like this," Wheatley whispered to his companion, "why are there suddenly so many of them?"

"Do the robots like space?" Spacey replied, and Wheatley could only shake his head.

A few more corridors later and Wheatley knew that they must have been getting closer to Prometheus' chamber, as the number of robots had tripled. Uncomfortable with the sheer amount of them, Wheatley took to hiding inside office suites whilst the larger numbers moved away from the area, leaving only a few to sneak past. How he managed to sneak past them was a mystery even to himself; he was, after all, stupidly tall, dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit and carried a core bigger than his head upon his back.

He wasn't exactly what people would describe as subtle.

He had noticed, however, that with most of the larger groups gone those who remained seemed a little sluggish in their reactions, a behaviour that Wheatley had not expected to find in security-based machines. Perhaps they were the so called runts-of-the-litter? None to bright, maybe?

Wheatley could only hope that this were true – he didn't particularly fancy being seen by one that wasn't quite as lethargic.

"Hey, Space Buddy," Spacey breathed from behind him. "Can we go back to space?"

"Maybe later, okay?" Wheatley replied with a slight hiss, just as he took a quick peek around a corner. "Just for now, be quiet."

"It was quiet in space."

"Yes, it was. Let's try to pretend that we're in space again, okay? Let's be really quiet and pretend that we are planets."

Spacey seemed happy with that idea and fell instantly silent, much to Wheatley's relief.

He walked for what felt like another hour until he realised that he was utterly lost. All of his diversions away from danger had taken him down another path, one that led away from the Astrophysics Department and, by extension, away from his Prometheus' chamber.

Spacey, thankfully, was too busy being a planet to even notice this.

Though he was thankful for the distance , it wasn't going to help Wheatley in his plan. With a sigh he slowed to a stop at an intersection of corridors, looking to the signs for help. Finding them completely useless he sighed again and thought about doubling back on himself when he heard footsteps. Many footsteps.

Without a second thought he dived into the nearest office and hid in the shadows of the tables, looking out through the window. For a minute there was silence, and then the heavy beat of metallic feet. Through the window Wheatley watched as group of security bots marched in unison with another machine between them. One that was far taller than them, but one who was clearly their prisoner as the bindings around its wrists showed. Wheatley stretched his neck to get a better view and, with a thrill of sickness, he realised that it was Zeus.

He looked defeated, and Wheatley felt his stomach drop through his knees.

What about Chell? Was she alright, or was she as battered as Zeus now was? She wasn't with the group, so where was she?

Was she dead?

Wheatley sank against the wall, his shoulders rubbing down the old walls as he slipped under both his and Spacey's weight.

It seemed like the only logical explanation for Zeus' demeanour. He would have never given up to these other robots so easily; the android had made that very clear to Wheatley before.

"_No,"_ a small voice shouted in the back of his mind. _"No, she isn't dead. She can't be. Chell's a stubborn one. She'll be alive."_

With effort, Wheatley pushed himself from the floor. He refused to believe that she was gone, and he would finish this job if it killed him.

"_But what if she is dead?"_

Shaking the thought away, he quickly left the room and silently followed the group at a safe distance until he returned to the areas that were full to brimming with robots. There were more than there had been before, and as Zeus was lead out of sight Wheatley knew just where he was being taken.

There was no chance of him being able to get back to the Astrophysics Department from here, not now. The influx of security must have been for Zeus, but Wheatley did not doubt that they would catch or kill him should they see him. And what use would he be to Chell if he was caught – if, indeed, she were still alive.

Instead Wheatley made his way in another direction, making his way through the maintenance areas where the light was a constant dim red, and the rooms and corridors were hot. It was uncomfortable to say the least, but maybe from here he could find his way the the spot of his schemes.

Spacey had continued to be unusually quiet, and as Wheatley cast an eye over his shoulder he could see why: the Core seemed to be asleep.

"Hey. Hey, little guy."

Nothing.

"Hey, Space mate, you alright?"

No reaction.

Feeling a pang of loneliness, Wheatley continued on his way.

The gentle but loud hum of machines and the clang of metal made him jump from time to time, but Wheatley found that he was otherwise alone in his wanderings. Sometimes he thought that he could hear voices – mostly Turrets – speaking quietly through the walls. They sounded as terrified as he was of the 'interlopers', the security bots.

As Wheatley made his way further down a flight of stairs, he felt a cool breeze float from a broken pneumatic diversity vent. Moving a little closer to enjoy the cold air on his sweaty skin, Wheatley found that the vent was plastered with black hand prints.

He frowned, and followed the hand prints as they climbed the wall to where scribbled words, written with the same black paint, stated _'the cake is a lie'_ repeatedly.

It continued.

Wheatley followed the corridor that the paint scrawls led him down. There were more musings on the cake's legitimacy, some poetry devoted to a Companion Cube, and then some strange ramblings about exile and the eyes that saw everything (which were, of course, security cameras).

But then he stopped. Four words were all that it took to stop him, scrawled in the very same black as everything else. _'The Daughter of Aperture.'_

Wheatley shook his head in disbelief, not quite sure of what he was supposed to think. Sii-Hya had muttered these same words before, but what both he and these scrawlings meant was a complete mystery to him.

Slowly, he continued, watching as fevered words turned into beautiful murals of Chell in various stages of her life. The least worn and aged of these paintings was of a Chell dressed in her jumpsuit, wearing it fully as any good Test Subject would. She was asleep in a bed – the very same bed that Wheatley had woken her from as a Core. He could not help but notice there was a dark red stain on the floor, next to the words _'both alive and dead, until someone opens the box. How did I know? A hunch.' _

Suddenly, Wheatley realised that the sound of machines had long since died away. He had gone deep, so much more deeper than he had originally planned. The silence was awful. Yet every thought of turning back was overridden by the his desire to follow the painted trail.

But then a voice began to echo in his ears, like a ghost of something muttering incoherently to itself. It grew louder as he walked, the voice sounding distinctively auto-tuned and Turret like, but a little more human than a Turret should be.

Though the words were broken, he could make out some of the more prominent phrases, as gargled as they were amongst the haze of illiterate tumble:

"Tttsch toxin, hur a min little man, pffh congratulations... this is my name, grr phlipf Dr. Rattmann. Chell Johnson! Tttsch, huff ill congratulations, the pressure's gone... say my name, feels like injection. Wah! Dah man, pfft tisk the pressure's still gone... help me Johnson... glassh Doctor God Man..."

This seemed to go on forever, with the same coherent words repeating in different patterns amongst the increasing noise of static fear and confusion. The noise culminated outside of a closed door, where Wheatley held his ear up to the door to hear the voice stop almost instantly.

Gently, Wheatley lay his hand on the door handle. What was he doing? Every instinct in his body told him to not open this door, and that he should leave very quickly. But the voice... it may have been terrifying to hear, but he had to know what it was.

With a deep and held breath Wheatley slowly opened the door, keeping well out of sight of anything that may try to jump at him, away from any bullets that could have been fired at him. Looking around the door he found a dark room filled with dim monitors. In the middle of the room stood a lone Turret. It's back was turned to him, and whilst it's guns were on display he could see no bullets in there. Instead, cables were plugged into ports inside of the thing, and connected into the computers beneath the screens.

Slowly entering the room, Wheatley cast his gaze on the walls inside. More murals were painted on the walls, but it was just so dark that he could barely see them, let alone make out what they were. Instead, his attention turned to the screens. He saw images of GLaDOS in her chamber, swinging with a controlled rage from side to side. He could see Blue and Orange as they, like him, walked through the maintenance areas with caution. Wheatley could see many other things flash before his eyes until, at last, he saw himself and Spacey. The image of him came from behind him, in the top most corner of the room. He turned and found the small and tell-tale red light of a security camera.

"I'm different."

Wheatley turned back to the Turret. "Sorry?"

A pause. "I'm different."

With caution, Wheatley slowly moved around to the front of the Turret, where it's unblinking optic followed him without a laser sight.

"Was that you?" He asked. "That voice. It was you, wasn't it?"

Another pause. "Yes. I'm different."

Wheatley frowned.

"I get so lonely down here. I talk to myself. I'm used to talking to myself."

"Well, that wasn't really talking." Wheatley said, trying to not sound judgmental. "It was more like the ramblings of a madman."

The Turret's gaze shifted from him and back to the monitors. "I've been called mad before."

This was awkward. Wheatley followed the Turret's gaze, and found it looking directly at GLaDOS. "I see lot's of things from here. I've seen what she was, and I see what she is becoming." Another pause. "She helped you on your way here."

Wheatley turned back to the Turret, which was now looking directly into his face. "Do not judge her. The mistakes were ours, not hers. I understand that now."

"What..?"

"She got into his systems, and made his robots dull. She realised when he was stirring, and turned off his only eye to you."

With slow comprehension, Wheatley turned to look over his shoulder at the sleeping Core. GLaDOS had done this? She'd helped him avoid detection this whole time?

"She is not the monster that you see her as. Now that she is free, you shall see that."

"Free?" Wheatley shifted uncomfortably. "Free from what?"

The Turret's gaze was unwavering. "Prometheus."

For a while, all was silence as the Turret let Wheatley comprehend what was being said. And then, it spoke again. "Prometheus was the voice inside her head, replacing the other that he quelled instead. Prometheus was the voice inside your head, driving your good will into madness instead."

"Do you rhyme all the time?" Wheatley asked, trying to change the uncomfortable subject matter.

The Turret seemed to frown, though with no optical covers it was difficult to tell. "Your rise to power jilted the thief of all knowledge, and freed GLaDOS from his clutches. Then her true reason returned, and remains to this day. You, the usurper, were pray to the thief, who delighted in a new pawn to control."

Wheatley paused to think. Those feelings that he had recalled earlier in GLaDOS' chamber came flooding back to him, and suddenly the voice that he had heard before made sense: Prometheus' madness had not been the thing to drive Wheatley mad, but it had been Prometheus himself, controlling him using Wheatley's own fears and frustrations. He must have done the same to GLaDOS.

With a shudder, Wheatley turned back to the monitor that still held his image. "And these cameras?"

"Under my control. He cannot see through them, and neither can she. These things are like seeing, but not with my eyes. You may see through the screens, but now I see them in my mind instead."

"You are a strange little Turret, aren't you?"

"I'm different."

"Yes, you've said that already."

Then a thought popped into his mind. A thought of a woman in an orange jumpsuit. "Chell! Have you seen Chell? You know, short woman, quite athletic..."

He paused as cameras flicked through images at a rapid pace, changing from scene to scene, from sector to sector until, at last, a camera in the old facility found her. She looked battered and bruised, with a blooded makeshift bandage around her leg, but she was alive.

"Oh, thank God." Wheatley felt the tears of relief quickly cloud his vision.

"She is alive. She is hard to kill." The Turret turned back to him. "The android thinks her dead."

"He doesn't know her all too well then, does he?"

"He knows her better than you think."

Wheatley looked at the Turret.

"He has simply lost hope. He has faced disappointment so many times. He thought he saw her die before his eyes. It was enough to break him."

"How could it break him? He's only her bodyguard."

The Turret seemed to chuckle. "He is much more than that."

The room was filled with a blinding light, one so bright that Wheatley actually felt pain just by being exposed to it.

"Look," said the Turret.

And slowly, Wheatley opened his eyes.

What greeted him was one massive mural, one much bigger than any he had seen before. For a few seconds whilst his eyes adjusted, all he could see was a mass of colour in a white walled room. And then the colours formed shapes, and the shapes formed a familiar man before his very eyes.

Cave Johnson was suspended in air, seemingly floating as he held onto a core, whose optic was a bright purple ringed with blue. From the core there flew cables into his brain, and on the opposite side of the core there was an android mirroring Mr. Johnson exactly, with the same wires entering it's head.

It was Zeus.

For once, Wheatley was actually speechless. In his mind, there were so many things that he wanted to say, so many things that he wanted to think, but he couldn't.

All he knew was that Zeus was Cave Johnson, and now it all made so much sense to him.

He felt sick.

"Wait!" The Turret cried. "There's more. Look!"

Wheatley wasn't sure that he wanted to look. Instead he sank to his knees and trembled without quite knowing how to stop himself from feeling... well, he did not quite understand how he felt.

"You need to see!" The Turret cried again. "The truth must be known, for without the truth you will loose this fight!"

It was with force that Wheatley managed to turn and look at the mural once more. Tearing his eyes way from the image of a pained Mr. Johnson, Wheatley followed a third set of cable from the Core, cables that flew upwards into...

"Prometheus."

The Turret watched as Wheatley stood, moving closer the mural to have a better look.

"But what happened? He never spoke about this to Chell or Mrs. Johnson. He kept this quiet. And why is he connected to Prometheus?"

The Turret watched as Wheatley turned around. He clearly expected answers, and the Turret was happy to oblige.

"It was the night of his death," the Turret began. "The traitor, Lucian Johnson, wanted him gone, for Cave Johnson continued to hold onto life. He took Cave Johnson; took him to his mechanised prison."

"I can sympathise there." Wheatley growled, his face contorting into an ugly and cold fury.

"Lucian Johnson merged him with a Core: the Dual-Personality Core."

"I know that Core." Wheatley interrupted. "That was the one that I found information about, before that bastard turned me into a Core too."

The Turret looked sorry for him.

"Well no wonder he wanted it bloody covered up! No wonder he turned me into a Core!"

The Turret waited patiently whilst Wheatley ranted in anger, letting all of his rage out of his system. When he had finally calmed, he asked the Turret to continue.

"Lucian Johnson knew the process would kill Cave Johnson. He also knew that the process would wipe his memory clean – something that appealed to the man, who wanted to control everyone, even Cave Johnson. But Cave Johnson's mind remained intact – his memories and feelings remained. He was himself again. And so Lucian Johnson tried to destroy him, but in doing so the Dual-Personality Core, which now shared a Core with Cave Johnson, uploaded them both to the mainframe where they would be safe.

"Inside the mainframe, Cave Johnson's conscience began to overpower that of the Core's. In time, part of Cave Johnson was salvaged by a Rat, but the rest was simply too corrupt to be saved. Prometheus was born out of Cave Johnson's growing madness. Zeus was born of what remained.

"Prometheus will always believe that he is more Core than man, but the truth is that he is more Cave Johnson than Core. Every terrible part of Cave Johnson's psyche was magnified in the transfer, and over time it corroded and corrupted until only a small part of his goodness remains to try and fight against the colossus that is now Prometheus.

"Zeus is the opposite. Zeus, by some mere chance, is the part of Cave Johnson that cared. He realises that he is in Prometheus, but he does not realise that Prometheus is actually the dark and corrupt shade of him, twisted by misfortune , hatred and greed."

Wheatley rubbed at his eyes, trying to take all of this in. He had noted, also, that the Turret had become far more human-like as it had told its tale. "And both Chell and Mrs Johnson know nothing of this?"

"Nothing. The truth is known only to you and I, Prometheus and Zeus. But as I said, Zeus is not aware of just how much a part of him is Prometheus."

"And how do you know so much? And why should I trust you?"

The Turret paused. "You believe me because you know it to be true. I have told you all of this before."

Wheatley frowned. "How could you? I've never met you before."

"The answer to both your questions lies only in this; you know it to be true, because I have told you this before. I have shown you this before. You have seen all of this with your own eyes."

For a moment, all was silence. Wheatley's mind forced itself to try and think of where he had seen this Turret before. But he had never met a Turret like this one before, let alone anything else for that matter.

No. There was one person. He _had_ met this Turret before, but not in this guise.

He had been human once, and he had been just as infuriatingly vague then. He had cataloged small notes in his mind as though they were nothing, and only he had been able to see things that others simply could not. Because he watched from the darkness, all of these little and inconsequential things that led to something so much more. He _watched_ and he _learned_ like no other. He knew things that nobody else could ever hope to know, unless he was willing to trust you.

Wheatley croaked, trying to coax sound from his throat, and eventually he was able to stammer out one quiet name: "Douglas?"


End file.
